All I've ever wanted was a genuine apology.
What more could you ask for, right? That's why I'm here to make the case for empathy. It's important! Empathy can be hard, it can be inconvenient, and you might think you don't need it, but here's the thing: without it, your apologies don't mean a damn thing.
It practically goes against human nature to admit it when we're wrong. Nobody wants to be the one to say they messed up, or that they did something awful to another person. It's uncomfortable and brings up a lot of unwanted feelings, but it has to be done.
Put yourself in the shoes of the person you've wronged. If somebody did that to you, how would you feel? What would you want them to say? Definitely not "I don't think I did anything wrong." Which brings me to my next point, take responsibility for your actions.
The kind of person you never want to be is someone who always deflects blame away from themselves. Acting this way is how you lose friendships, lose respect, and burn bridges. Own up to your mistakes and when you say that you're sorry, be genuine. People will respect you for it.
Sometimes, it doesn't matter what you think. I don't think I'll ever be able to say this enough but, you don't get to decide that what you do doesn't hurt anyone. That is just not how the world works. There are always going to be consequences for our actions, and we can't let ourselves become naive to how we impact other peoples lives. No matter how much you believe that you're right, it's always beneficial to take a step back and look at the situation from a new perspective. Even if it's annoying, even if you think it won't make any difference, even if you end up being right. Empathy is always going to bring a layer of trust and respect to any argument or situation.
If there is anything I want you to take away from this, it's that it's okay to f*ck up. It is okay as long as you work to fix it and that your work is genuine and empathetic.
Take responsibility.
Be kind.
