Pulling a topic of interest from one of the most digitally downloaded songs ever, Apologize by One Republic, I feel the need to reply to the statement -"It's too late to apologize, it's too late...."
With the changing of the season and a new lunar year upon us, I think it's important to renew our sense of hope in life, love, and relationships; not only our relationships with others but ourselves too. Starting over with a clean slate seems like an impossible dream sometimes, but we can move closer to that goal by mending, absolving, and clarifying relationships that are in "disrepair".
So the question remains, is it ever too late to apologize? Sources I've read strongly recommend sincerely (and sincerely being the key!) apologizing and asking for forgiveness for a wrongdoing at least three times. Even if the offended party has passed away, the person should make the effort of going to their grave and asking for forgiveness. Of course, it is also a given that the person being asked for forgiveness relent and accept the apology.
While this methodology may seem strange at first, the beauty of it is the peace it can create for both parties involved.
Being humble enough to ask for forgiveness is such a fantastic quality as well as the ability to completely forgive someone without holding on to grudges - this is the stuff a better world is built upon.
I am not saying that this business of apologizing and forgiving is an easy task! I am just pointing out some of the magical aspects of what the actions could produce.
Apologizing to someone, even if they have passed away and may not ever know that you did, allows for closure for forgiveness for yourself. If you never get the forgiveness that you ask for, at least you know in your heart of hearts that you tried. If you are the person who is unable to forgive fully, it is worth making the effort since you should not want to carry that anvil around in your heart.
People make mistakes and some worse than others; it's one of the foundations of humanity. The ability to be humble and the ability to forgive are what elevate us up from this human condition. Sorry Ryan Tedder, I am going to have to disagree with you, it's never too late to apologize, and it's never too late to forgive.
