Apologising is an under-appreciated skill

Apologies can be hard, particularly if the thing that you are apologising for wasn’t done accidentally.

I often think back to a particular moment in a relationship where I accidentally hurt someone that I cared about, but I was incapable of apologising. I still regret that moment to this day.

When I was an immature kid and made a mistake, I’d keep doing the same thing over and over again to act like it was intentional. It alienated me from other people. I felt terrible about it, but hiding my shame was clearly more important.

This was a huge character flaw that I’m constantly trying to grow out of.

I still see a lot of grown adults who refuse to apologise or admit that they were wrong. Politicians are particularly partial to this.

I think that a lot of people think that apologising makes you look weak, but it’s not true. Refusing to apologise is a sign of weakness and immaturity.

If you can’t apologise to someone, overall your relationship with them will be worse. Your need to save face is actually sacrificing your inter-personal relationship long-term. Is that worth wanting to avoid the short term pain of admitting that you did or said the wrong thing?

The truth is, the ability to admit that you are wrong and apologise is an under-appreciated skill and virtue.