I’ll have mine with 2 cups of sugar, half cup of milk (yuck...)
But seriously, I can never take apology as well as when I give it. Something about it that brings out the element of humiliation in it. Nothing is more unbearable in this world than humiliation, whether for its victims or/and spectators.
When Bahá’u’lláh abolished the practice of confessing our sin to another human, He must have known that how greater ordeal it is for the person who takes it. Apologies, is pretty much the same, at least to me. One is abased while the other is ....well, I don’t know, put to tremendous test?
Since when did the simple, sincere “sorry” becomes insufficient? Elaboration of apology never beautify the objective. The more said, the worse both feels.
Perhaps, the most violent effect of an apology is that it provokes both parties the regrets of an undesirable events; be it lives lost, efforts failed, trusts falsely funded, time wasted. It seems easier to cling to those loses than to make an effort to forgive.
Ourselves in particular are often left out on our forgive list. Even after we claim to have forgive others, we still hold grudges with ourselves. Some may justify it as strict self-discipline or whatever, but in truth, it is simply in need for detachment.
It's harder than making/receiving apologies, no one can detach from themselves enough to be able to say that "I've forgive myself." It takes constant reminder, as much as when we are trying to forgive others.
We've been blessed with cliches of all kinds of wisdoms, one of which goes like this "you can never truly forgive others, until you've forgive yourself." Very well said, very insightful. Unfortunately, in a world where most of us rely on modern medias for quick input, something so insightful just don't make sense to our rusted mind.
here's what imo, very helpful when I try to forgive myself:
The essence of detachment is for man to turn his face towards the courts of the Lord, to enter His Presence, behold His Countenance, and stand as witness before Him.---Bahá’u’lláh
