MadameNoire
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As children, most of us were prompted by our parents to apologize when we did something hurtful or offensive to someone. We complied, mostly because it’s what our parents told us to do and because we were told that by saying sorry, we would help the other person to feel better about what happened. However, just like forgiveness, apologizing also offers a long list of intrinsic benefits. And in some cases, offering a sincere apology can benefit us even more than it does the receiver.
In recent weeks, two public figures have come forward and demonstrated remorse for some of the negative things that they’ve done in the past. One person was Kenya Moore. After ending her long-lived feud with Phaedra Parks, the Real Housewives of Atlanta star expressed remorse for not distancing herself from Parks’ ex-husband, Apollo Nida after Parks had expressed discomfort with their interactions.
“Absolutely,” Moore said during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live in response to a question about whether or not she regretted how she handled the situation. “I think I could have just distanced myself from Apollo altogether, not been so chummy-chummy, especially when it bothered his wife.”
In a similar fashion, Wendy Williams recently apologized for initiating a petty, short-lived feud with Evelyn Lozada after she referred to the reality star’s child as a cash register.
While folks may be wondering why these women are suddenly so remorseful for things that happened such a long time ago, both occurrences speak to the transformative impact of time, maturity, and lived experiences. Hindsight is, in fact, 20/20 and while it may seem like a good idea to just move forward and leave the past where it is when you have a revelation that you’ve wronged someone, returning to that person and apologizing is probably an even better idea. Here’s why.
Cleared conscience
First and foremost, apologizing for something that you know for a fact you’ve done wrong will work wonders for your conscience. The weight of guilt being carried in secret is heavy, so release it by shedding light on the situation and tell the person how you feel.
