Lewis B. Smedes The Empty Apology

Apologies were beautiful. Two people mended a broken bond with careful words of regret and remorse. To quote Lewis B.Smedes, a renowned author and theologian from the early nineteen hundreds, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” But today, nearly one hundred years later, the way we apologize has been altered by our self-obsessed and self-serving society. It has merely become a polite formality- with little to no meaning. If we change the way we apologize, we can forgo all the confusion and disappointment, allowing us to relate to others in a way our generation has not have to privilege to do.

The Empty Apology
At one time or another, we have all received an apology where we cannot help but question
You are sitting in the middle of your chemistry class, listening to your teacher’s fascinating lecture on the history of the atom when you feel a light tap on your arm. “Sorry, but can I borrow a pencil?” Frequent apologies have become blended in with normal everyday interactions. No, you are not sorry about bumping me in the hallway, or asking me for a pencil. Nobody is. The way our society is structured demands the use of these extra syllables. The frequency of the apology dilutes the meaning, making them as a whole less
With texting, instant messaging, and emailing, the ways we communicate with one another have undergone a rapid change. Instead of going and asking for forgiveness face to face, people hide behind usernames to perform this basic human interaction. As we all know, typing something out is far different from telling someone directly. Within minutes, we are able to apologize for running over the neighbor's cat while simultaneously watching Netflix. Only human interaction can achieve the emotions and meaning that are crucial in an apology. The recipient of the message may assume the person is too remorseless to tell them in directly. More often than not, the virtual apologies are perceived as ingenuine; causing more drama between