Apology

 


Nowadays, many people are very opinionated. It’s common to see that people just blocked others on social media because of some disputes or negative feelings. They haven’t thought about resolving the difference or whether they did it wrong. They haven’t thought about opening up the dialogue. 

In Asian countries, an apology can be seen as “losing faces”. Self-image and reputation are important to many people. It’s not easy for politicians or senior management to apologize as they considered that it might lead to consequences that they might not want to see. Even if they apologize, people could feel that they talked with excuses. 

After all, saying sorry can be a very unpleasant experience, it takes a lot of courage to say the words and to say them right in the appropriate tone. 

Human beings are not perfect. There are moments when things go wrong or we slipped our tongue, hurting someone. 

Saying sorry sincerely is definitely the way to apologize and ask for forgiveness. If we rely on written communication to say sorry, the tone and the choice of words are extremely important, avoid saying “if” and “but” as they always give one the impression that you are not committed to doing so. Some companies tend to apologize but they sound like blaming someone and do not really say it authentically. 

Words can be interpreted wrong. When saying sorry, the tone, the facial expression, and the body language is vital. And people expect you to tell us what action you have made. A gift or compensation may help. Even if people won’t accept the apology immediately, they may feel more resolved if you say it authentically. It takes time for people to digest and think and get over something. I could see the family reconciling after almost 10 years. So don’t feel bad if you say sorry and the others seem not to understand. You’ve made the effort and you accept the mistakes. You do not hold on to something and move on. 

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