I am sick and tired of saying "I'm sorry." On an average day, I apologize 18 times. That means in a regular week my count adds up to 126. "I'm sorry" is not a catch phrase. It is not worthy of being attributed to any notable character, and it is certainly not worthy of being attributed to me.
While these numbers are shocking, they aren't an accurate representation of who I am. I am not a bad person. I don't worship the devil, I don't practice witchcraft in the woods, and I have never purchased gas station sushi. To put it simply, I am not a malicious sinner. I drink excessive amounts of coffee, binge watch "The Office" and occasionally annihilate a family size box of Cheez-Its. However, with the amount of times I apologize daily, you'd think I'm wanted by the FBI.
The reality of my guilt is striking. As it turns out, I am not the only repeat offender. My generation as a whole is obsessed with the apology. Young men and women throw around the phrase "I'm sorry" constantly.
It is not our parents' fault for instilling us with basic manners and morals, instead, we have ourselves to blame. Just like many other societal functions, the apology has been abused and corrupted. The more we use this phrase, the less impact it has in conversation. Out of the 18 times a day I say "I'm sorry," I mean it less than 50 percent of the time. I don't intend to use my words recklessly, but I find myself apologizing as a natural reflex.
As a child, and admittedly, a young adult, I have always been terrified of disappointing others. Even the smallest of failures send me into a spiral of shame. These feelings often push me to apologize for things that are not my fault. While this habit does not appear to be inherently evil, its effects are extremely detrimental to health and wellbeing. The more we apologize, the less we tend to think of ourselves. If our every action is followed by a panicked, stumbling, "I'm so sorry," we lose our ability to behave with confidence. In other words, the more we apologize, the more we hurt our self-esteem.
I believe that my generation will find greater success if we stop and think about what we're apologizing for. In the grand scheme of things, we are only blessed with a small amount of time on this earth. If we choose to waste our words saying "I'm sorry," we'll never fully appreciate all that life has to offer.
