The dynamic was interesting. A
politician uttering what has been described as the hardest word, ‘Sorry,’ directly
on camera from, interestingly, his own home and not outside Parliament on the
green grass or in his office.
“There is no easy way to say this,
we made a pledge and we didn’t stick to it and for that, I am
sorry............most important of all you have got to learn from your mistakes
and that is what we will do.”
This has created an amazing stir.
According to Nick Robinson, the BBC Correspondent, what may follow Nick Clegg
in the wake of his apology could be, ‘disbelief, anger and ridicule.’
Apologising and saying sorry are
fundamental to life. Relationships, any relationship, especially a man and a
wife cannot go forward without apology and forgiveness being an integral part
of them. But what of political life?
Will any of those who heard Nick Clegg two years ago promise not to raise
tuition fees now be able to trust him again? Will their anger, disbelief and
ridicule become a stumbling block to moving forward? Is not the bigger issue
that will sink the Lib Dems., that they got into bed with the Conservatives in
the first place?
Breaking this trust and promise
has been described by Clegg as a huge ball and chain to both him and his party.
And that is exactly how it can be for all of us. When Robert Green the England
Football Goalkeeper let a speculative shot from the USA slip through his hands
into the net a Sports Psychologist commented,’It was encouraging that Robert
Green acknowledged immediately that he had made a mistake, rather than blaming
the turf or the ball. When people attribute failure to other things it is an
indicator of low self-esteem.”
In an interview with Chris Moyles
on Radio 1, when Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow of ‘Take That’ were getting
back together again, it was reported that “Robbie Williams did most of the
talking. Referring to nasty things said in the past and their recent get
together he said they sat down in a room at one point and simply talked things
over and “Said sorry and meant it.” The words he then used to describe the
emotional impact of apologising and saying sorry were, “exciting,”
“liberating.” It was he said, “like a big load being lifted off my shoulders”
and the beginning of a magical 18 months in which they have worked together
well again. “It’s nice being able to be grown ups and say sorry and mean it,”
he concluded.
Perhaps the problem is also with
the receiver not the apologiser. It behoves us to exercise forgiveness. ‘Forgiving
others takes strength, particularly when you feel wronged but the fortitude
required to forgive pales into comparison to the energy it takes to hold a
grudge’ says Michelle Weiner-Davis.
The onus is on us to dance to a
different tune than the old one of grudge and unforgiveness.
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