How do you say sorry to a person who thinks the word sorry is overused?

It can’t be done because all the other words mean sorry.

Sorry is the lowest common denominator of all apologetic actions.

There is no apology that can’t be broken down into “Sorry”.

Giving gifts to apologise? I’d feel uncomfortable with essentially buying my pardon.

 

I’ve been thinking about apologies. I’ve narrowed the process down to 6 points:

1. Understanding the situation from both sides
2. Identifying the part of the situation for which the apology is needed
3. Understanding the consequences of this action
4. Taking responsibility for this action (This is essential, you can’t apologise if you don’t take responsibility, that’s why some people refuse to apologise in politics, because they don’t want something to be attributed to them)
5. Asking for forgiveness
6. Restitution (usually in the form of a promise or compromise)

 

The most vital parts are often the most criticised: 5 & 6. If you aren’t given forgiveness then there is literally nothing you can do. By all means keep trying but you will always ask yourself if they really meant it, you’ll always wonder if they just gave in to your repeated attempts. The promise is always a tricky area. People often say that there is no point in promising you won’t do something again because you will. but on the other hand what is the point in apologising if you don’t promise to not do it again. If you apologise without making a promise like that then it suggests you don’t meet criteria 2 or 3.

 

What’s worse is when you know that they think sorry is overused: every time you genuinely feel sorry for something you know that they will dismiss some part of it just for the choice of words used.

Also, someone who has lost faith in a word rarely uses it themselves. So you have to wonder how they apologise or if they do apologise.

 

It’s trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrricky.