Forgiveness: A tale of two apologists

“Forgiveness 5” by Carlos Latuff. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The best thing to do after you’ve taken insights, information and counsel from others on any given decision is to just go with your gut and do, choose, take and decide what’s best for you.
Provided you are doing what is good for you and not at the expense of others, you owe no one an apology, either.
Some people need to hear apologies but apologies aren’t the same as asking for forgiveness.
If you make an error during the course of the work day, you apologize to someone. Asking their forgiveness because you neglected to put a comma in your email where none existed before it was read over the second time before sending, warrants no such thing.
Apologies have become disingenuous.
“I apologize, Dick.”
“What do you apologize for, Bob?”
“Do you want me to spell it out, Dick?”
“Are you saying you don’t really want to apologize, Bob?”
“I’m saying I’ve apologized to you so many times, Dick that I can’t remember what the hell it is I’m apologizing to you for this time.”
“I’m sorry, Bob.”
“You’re sorry, Dick?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

English: Graphic on forgiveness (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“What the freak are you sorry for, Dick?”
“I’m sorry for thinking you owe me an apology.”
“Well, that’s better.”
“What’s better?”
“You being sorry for expecting me to apologize.”
“I didn’t mean for you to think you didn’t owe me an apology, Bob.”
“Then why did you say you were sorry for thinking I owed you an apology?”
“I dunno.”
After an exchange like this, the moral of the story is to never expect an apology, to not ever feel that someone owes you one. For if you do and you never receive it, the lack of apology may sting you the rest of your life.

Then, the forgiveness, or lack of, can rise to the surface and remain forever etched upon your DNA for so long as ye shall live—in sickness and in health, ‘til death do you part.

“I never forgave that bastard.”
“What bastard, Dick?”
“Biff.”
“Biff?”
“Huh?”
“Biff?”
“Yeah.”
“You know somebody named Biff, Dick?”
“Yeah.”
“Who’s Biff?”
“Some guy.”
“This is taking too long.”
“Well, Biff, was this guy I knew.”
“This is not improving quickly enough, Dick.”
“Okay. It’s hard for me to talk about it.”
“Then why did you bring it up, Biff?”

Cropped screenshot of Douglas Dick from the trailer for the film Rope. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Because I never got over it and sometimes it still just rises up from deep within me and hurts all over again.”
“I’ll forgive you for not talking about it, Biff.”
“What the hell does that mean, Bob? And, I’m Dick, not Biff.”
“I guess I just thought you were acting like a Biff, for not telling me about Dick. I mean, acting like a Dick for not telling me about Biff.”
“Well, I am a Dick, Bob.”
“That you are, Dick.”
“Maybe another time I’ll tell you about Biff, Bob.”
“That’s fine, Dick. And besides, you don’t have to apologize, either.”
“I didn’t apologize, Bob.”
“I’m pretty sure you did, Dick.”
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t.”
“Well, I forgive you anyway, Biff.”