"Apologizing: Does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It just

means you value your relationship more than your ego."

I stumbled upon this idea while searching for inspirational quotes, and it forced me to think: Is this actually true, or is it some nonsense used to discover inner peace? Friendship is a fragile thing. Somehow in this big world, we have the expectation that we will be able to find people who have similar interests, similar values, and similar desires for friendship. Although friends are the people that we turn to during both good times and bad, there are many times when our friendships have to be called into question. No friendship is perfect. Put two or more people together and drama, jealousy, betrayal, sadness, and anger are bound to come up as obstacles. No, I'm not talking about the pseudo-reality of friendships in Gossip Girl, this also happens in real life. When these issues come up the true test of friendship isn't seeing how long the relationship can survive with a festering wound; it's deciding what needs to be done in order for the relationship to endure only minimal damage. Sometimes that turns into either apologizing for something you don't feel you should apologize for, or forgiving somebody who truly hurt you. In other words, conflict between friends is only resolved when somebody acts as the bigger person.

Being the bigger person isn't fun, but it's necessary to continue with the friendship. It can leave one person feeling as though they're sacrificing their happiness for the other persons', or that the other person is wrong. However, being the bigger person should only be a major issue if you care more about your ego than having the other person as a friend. It's painful, but it's also very simple. I've come to the decision that the definition for apologizing that I found is both true, and incorrect at the same time. The quote in question is about being the bigger person, which involves both apologizing, as well as forgiveness. We've all had plenty of experience being hurt, followed by having to be the bigger person for one reason or another. That reason almost always boiled down to not wanting to lose a person in our lives because of something that we'll get over.Overcoming conflict means addressing pain we feel within friendships. That imminent hurt is what makes being the bigger person one of the worst things at the time, but that pain will pass, and the pain of losing a friend is far worse in the long run.

Thus I've come to accept a modified definition: apologizing and forgiving are the truest signs of friendship.