The Art of Saying Sorry

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The magic three words, “I am sorry” has been touted has one that can do a lot of wonders. The ability to say this and mean it can solve a lot of relationships and prevent so many arguments and fights.

Right from our childhoods we are taught to be able to use words like “please excuse me”, “forgive me” and “I am sorry”. Some have learnt to use this easily since then but others not so much. You do not always have to prove that you are right or argue your case but sometimes you just have to take the “L” and say “I am sorry” .

It is not always an L because sometimes you think you are right but in hindsight, you are actually very wrong. We have all been brough up in different home settings and different people so it is only natural we react to certain things differently.

All of us have found ourselves in situations where we either have to say sorry or to decide if we will accept being said sorry to. It is the way of the world and if you think as a human you will not find yourself in both of these situations, you’ve got another thing coming.

No matter how good you are, you are going to step on someone’s toes or even make a harmless joke that does not sit right with the person and you cannot blame the person but only try to understand that we react to things differently. You would then decide if you are going to say sorry or do something else.

There are two kinds of people. Those that will absolutely never say sorry because they always have to justify their actions and of course those that have no problems saying sorry. I like to think that I belong to the latter, those that have no problems saying sorry.

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When I know I have wronged, it does not take me very long to apologize because I know I stepped out of place. Sometimes, I do not know what I have said or done is wrong unless my attention is drawn and maybe it is only on such occasions, I take some time to react to.

Most at times when I say sorry it is because I mean it and so I always strive to apologize only when I mean it. If you know me well and you want me to say sorry, I will sometimes ask if you want a sincere one or you just want me to say sorry. I’ll eventually come around and understand from your point of view. Other times I just say it because I do not like arguments. These things tend to bother me quite a lot especially when things go unresolved.

Saying sorry does not always have to be because we believe you are wrong but sometimes just say it because you value the person, the friendship or the relationship. I must admit that sometimes I feel I say sorry a little too much.

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some people make saying sorry very fun and take it to the extreme like we have here where someone is saying sorry using the clouds😮‍💨.

I quite remember I was speaking to a friend once on phone and if I remember rightly I was expected to call but I didn’t. The friend called instead and wanted to make me feel guilty so I just said I was sorry and this friend told me I like saying sorry and I do it too much.

This friend might have been joking but I sensed sincerity in the voice and since then I do not say sorry to that friend like I usually do. I only say it when I feel it is necessary.

This makes me think that we have seen a reduction in the number of people who say sorry because of statements like these. How many of us want to appear weak? Maybe for some people, those who use sorry a lot are wimps.

Despite this, I still do not find it difficult to say sorry when I am wrong or when it is necessary. I believe no one should feel too big or too proud to apologize when they are wrong. It’s part of life. That being said, it didn’t mean you should always be the one to care about the relationship and say sorry. People should say sorry to you too after all you should treat others how you wan to be treated.

Let’s all learn the art of saying sorry as it’s an awash skill to learn.

Thank you.