The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Mistakes are a part of life. I've made them; you've made them; even Gandhi made them. We've all said and done things we haven't been proud about, wished these moments never took place, and often promised ourselves we'd learn from such experiences so we didn't repeat them. When another is hurt by our mishandling of a situation, it's common to make amends by apologizing. While some may be more hard-headed than others when it comes to admitting mistakes and apologizing for them, I think a large majority of people whom aren't in serious denial know when they've done wrong and when it's time to offer a sincere apology for this wrongdoing. So long as the same mistakes aren't being committed, leading to the same apologies, a sincere apology can be quite a helpful tool in calming a situation, regaining another's trust, and helping progress the relationship. Apologies aren't always sincere, however, and it's during these very instances w...

Are there certain rules and guidelines by which to go when it comes to apologizing, accepting an apology and/or forgiving when another comes forward and apologizes? Are there events that one shouldn't even confront another about or be willing to be confronted about? I haven't seen my abuser since I was eight years old. Is it wrong of me to want to see him straighten his life out, to stand up to him face-to-face, receive an honest apology and walk away from the situation on a more positive note? Most people I know just say to forget about it, to put it behind me, that it'd be crazy for me to confront him about it. Wouldn't that provide closure, though? Wouldn't it be more likely for me to move past the situation once I received that closure as opposed to trying to deny it ever happened? If a girlfriend just up and left me without any notice, wouldn't that linger in the back of my mind until I found out what really happened? I may block it out after a while, b...