“Sincere
apologies are for those that make them, not for those to whom they are made.”
~Greg LeMond
When I was growing up, every time I did something
wrong or called my brother names, my mother would grab me by the wrist and
demanded that I offer an apology. What’s more, if the apology didn’t sound
meaningful enough to her, I had to repeat it until my tone was genuine. An
apology was the basic reaction to any mistake.
Now that I’m older, I see apologizing as more than
just a household rule. My younger self didn’t understand the complexities of
human pride and self-righteousness, but my older self does.
Now, I see family members refusing to talk to each
other for years after an argument just because neither side wants to be the
first to let go of their pride and “break down and apologize.” But who decided
apologizing was a sign of weakness?
