‘Sorry!’- it’s the first word which probably confronts us with our very own, undiscovered ‘ego’ at a very young age.

Ever seen a toddler/a child feeling offended and being adamant on being asked to apologize and say a sorry? I wonder sometimes, how does a human being who is of such a small age, with hardly any exposure of the real world, has some how formed an opinion that accepting to be at fault is letting himself down in some way.

The fight with ‘sorry’ then continues for a few more years though after which it becomes a part of ‘those words’ on which one is judged to be well mannered and so it comes out a bit more quickly and a bit less hesitantly than before, used more often to fit in as a normal and regular, socially acceptable person rather than to apologize and mean it.

Brush aside a few more years of one’s life and then comes the most enlightened phase when a person realizes the magical power of this 5 letter word ‘SORRY’ ! for he has gradually learnt over the time that sorry is the key to walk out of any self created mess and save one’s skin. Do as you please and put an end to any conflict by popping out a sorry, as if it is a some quick fix which can resolve or at least temporarily stop any argument. For the purpose of ready reference, ask any parent about the apology they get from their child in the 14 – 22 years of age group (approximately) You can also ask a wife about the apology from her husband who forgets to get things on the way back home or return a call or comes home late after he is out with his friends for a drink, you get it? That’s exactly the kind of ‘sorry’ I am referring to 😁

And as one grows up, one also realizes that ultimately being at peace is more important that being right and so the ‘sorry’ now comes instantly, irrespective of whether it is meant as an apology or not, but definitely to maintain one’s own inner tranquility.

In the later days of life however for some of us, our thought process take a U-turn and then, just like a toddler, it’s again an offensive feeling when one is expected to accept a mistake or say a simple ‘sorry’.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan, in his famous movie Maine Pyaar Kiya delivered a dialogue, “ Dosti ka usool hai madam no sorry, no thank you!” ( it’s a basic principle of friendship that one neither thanks nor apologizes to the other) But honestly I feel, at times both the ‘sorry’ and the ‘thank you’ are not as much for the good of the person to whom it is said to, as it is for the person who says it.

Both gratitude and apology expressed timely in life go a long way to keep a relationship alive and also to keep a person grounded and humble.

Concluding with a full form of the word sorry curated on my own-

S – Sorry

O – Often helps to

R – Retain &

R – Replenish

Y- Your relationship!

P.S- Relationship that one shares not only with the world but with one’s inner self as well. 😇