how much does sorry mean?

sorry seems like such an empty word, I feel perhaps we should banish it from the english language.  there are a million other ways of saying and showing that you feel awful for any wrong you have done.  a great girlfriend of mine had to meet up with the ex so that he could apologise to her.  surely that was only to make HIM feel better? 

then there are those who can only say sorry followed by ‘but’.  they are inexcusable.

so here are my guidelines for delivering an effective apology:

–  write it down (takes more time, thought and care)

– try not to use the word ‘sorry’

– explain your actions and why they were wrong.

rather fittingly, more than 100 years ago, Douglas Horton, a US clergyman commented: being sorry is the highest act of selfishness, seeing value only after discarding it.