They say it’s a sign of maturity to forgive and forget. But, how many times can you really forgive the same person? How many chances are too many chances? Going through the process of accepting someone’s apology, apologizing yourself, shaking hands and then moving on like nothing ever happened can take an emotional toll on every person involved.
Regardless of if the relationship is with someone in a romantic or platonic way; is it a sign of weakness to give someone a 2nd chance…or a 3rd…or a 4th…? I think it depends on the reason for giving someone another chance. Did they cheat on you? Lie to you? Hurt you in a way you deemed “unforgivable?” But, after some time has passed you find yourself wondering if you were too quick to the draw. Maybe you should have forgave the person when they apologized and said they would never do it again. I mean, we all make mistakes right? Nobody’s perfect!
It’s understandable to want to forgive! You care for the person and feelings can’t go away overnight. Especially because you want to believe someone when they say they are “sorry.” Unfortunately, “sorry” may not always mean the person is truly remorseful for their actions. Apologies, in themselves, have lost a part of their true meaning. Nowadays we can hear the word “sorry” wherever we go. Think about it. How many times a day do you apologize for something that wasn’t your fault or that wasn’t in your control…? Saying “sorry” should only be said when someone is genuinely sorry for their mistakes. I equate saying “I’m sorry” to saying “I’m never going to do it again.”
“I’m never going to do it again.” If we take this to be the new meaning of the word “sorry,” then why would there even be a 3rd chance…or a 4th…and so on? It may be a sign of maturity to forgive but that doesn’t mean you need to continuously forgive the person who is just simply good at saying “I’m sorry.”
