We are taught with a negative notion that apologizing means you’re at fault. Or, it means you’re showing weakness. We’re encouraged to be tough, not vulnerable.
After having a horrible fight, you and your sister might have felt that the other person was in the wrong. Or we at least didn’t want to admit to our own wrongdoing. After sometimes. you may get a “sorry” that you think that you totally deserved. People hesitate to say sorry. They fear always to apologize with others.
Pride can get the best of any of us. It’s never easy to admit that you’re wrong. Sometimes it feels easier to break off a friendship, cut off ties with a family member, or even end a relationship because someone is too afraid to admit they messed up. That pride can lead you to confront the person. You try to bury your feelings. All of this ends up making us internalize conflict that we should be addressing.
And that’s the thing. Saying “I’m sorry” actually shows strength, not weakness. A person who can apologize—and truly mean it—is self-aware. They’ve taken the time to really think about their actions and reflect on the conflict from all perspectives. Whenever there’s an altercation, whether that’s between two people or more, rarely is someone completely free of blame. To be introspective and self-critical is a skill you must develop over time.
We can’t grow unless we fail. We can’t be better people unless we admit that we’re wrong sometimes. By not putting ourselves out there, because we’re afraid of failure, we’re doing ourselves a disservice. It’s tough, but with introspection and confidence, we can accept that we’re all flawed. That’s okay. All we can do is say we’re sorry, and learn from it.