Sorry Doesn’t Have To Be So Hard

I’m sorry.

This combination of words seem to be the hardest to say and even harder sometimes to hear. Admitting guilt and repenting for it is an amazingly powerful tool to alleviate the stresses of life.

Let’s face it, nobody is perfect and with our imperfections comes the possibility of hurting someone you know and love. As humans we are conditioned through society to believe that we are an island unto ourselves and our actions have no consequences.

Even though hundreds of years ago, Sir Isaac Newton proved in his theory of motion that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, we believe that all of our actions go unpunished. Therefore, in the scope of most of our lives, the words I’m sorry are hardly relevant.

What happens, however, if you do hurt a friend, even unintentionally? Recently, someone I considered a close friend misunderstood a situation which resulted in the breakup of our relationship. Once I understood the problem, which took a while, I tried to apologize. My former friend would hear nothing of it. The former friend obviously felt it was too little too late.

In life, we all sometimes find ourselves in these positions. Our best bet, think about what you say and how your words an actions will affect the people around you. Be mindful of other people and their feelings and most of all, apologize when you are wrong.

Elton John sang that sorry seems to be the hardest word, it doesn’t have to be. A little vigilance, some swallowed pride and sorry could be the most beautiful word in the English language.