Redeem Yourself

Sorry.

It's a tiny, 2-syllable, 5-letter word. It really isn't supposed to be that difficult a concept to grasp. According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary source, the term 'sorry' is defined as this:

Feeling sorrow or regret.

Emphatically, the term sorry, before being 'used' as a way to show regret or misfortune, stands primarily as an expression of feeling, a necessary feeling showing that one not only comprehends the grossness of a situation, but knows to feel shameful about said situation. In practice, it is a similar feeling to owing someone a large amount of money-it's a feeling of anxiety and debt, paired with a deeply-rooted, self-inspired need to make up for whatever one has done.

Unfortunately, this "supposedly" simple idea has proven so difficult for so many people in modern society; more and more often do people feel self-righteous and impossible to failure, trying to push blame for their own mistakes, creating excuses or turning a blind eye to their personal wrongdoings. It really is the bane of society's existence, in a sense-with the reign of narcissism and an inability to back down, the world has seen wars and political disputes over tiny, insignificant matters, ones that have been stretched out past the breaking point. From individuals to entire nations, people thrive on the basis of who's right and who's wrong, on who gets to win the argument this time, on who stepped on who's foot, or wrongfully claimed who's island, or accidentally bombed who's land.

And yet, people have remained unrelenting, turning tiny altercations to major, newsworthy conflicts, which brings back the point of how ridiculous people tend to be when it comes to admitting their wrongs.

But really, how hard is a sorry? And I'm not talking about a meaningless sorry, a sorry to get away from the argument, a sorry to hide behind, or use as evidence in future mentions of said event. Sorry isn't an empty word, and it should never be treated as one-going back to the dictionary definition, sorry is a term that embodies not one, but two entire emotions. Sorrow, and regret, and without these two emotions, sorry is practically synonymous to saying 'screw you.'

Personally, I feel like it's important to me that I am surrounded by people who can appreciate the power behind this loosely-thrown term; this comes from my childhood. When I was younger, I never said sorry. Ever. Because I never felt that I was in the wrong, and I would stand up for my ideals, no matter how irrational they were. And while one of my parents would try to convince me to say that "I was sorry" to the other, I wouldn't back down. I wouldn't use that term until I completely meant it. 

So what's the point of using the term if one does not mean what he or she says? Doesn't that "sorry" immediately become a dirty dishrag, tossed around haphazardly and infecting the trust of those who receive it? In that case, one might as well keep the word at bay.

And yes, remorse is an important feeling. It Is an internal emotion that should be felt with sincerity, and the words "I'm sorry" should be used with caution, not carelessness, to avoid misuserstandings, both outside and within.