7 Words System – Q21, Primary Word Sorry

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Exercise

Answer these questions with a score from 1 to 10.
1. Do you make amends if you cause harm?
2. Are you relatively free of guilt?
3. Are you a person who can forgive and forget?
Discuss the reasons for any noteworthy score, and your relationship generally with the word Sorry.

Teaching

Do you make amends if you cause harm?
In some spiritual groups, on camps etc, we can observe the process called ‘karma yoga’, which raises the concept of chores to a new level. By doing work in the spirit of sacred service, the effect is to heal ourselves of issues that trouble us. This is the way to understand making amends. It is not done simply to justly compensate the other. It is done to repair the damage in ourselves that is evidenced by our insensitivity to others. When we do the right thing by others, we feel good on a soul level. It’s worth it; benefit outweighs cost by a dimension.

Are you relatively free of guilt?
This question is also profoundly correlated with happiness. From a truly spiritual perspective, guilt is always wrong – and blame too. So whatever we do that is motivated by guilt or blame will always lead towards an unsatisfactory result. We need to avoid that behaviour, whatever the cost, and to let go of guilt – or our chances of joy are very significantly diminished.

Are you a person who can forgive and forget?
We all do what we think is right. If we think that someone is doing something wrong then it’s just because their model of the world is different to ours. It explains all the friction and resultant conflict. Forgiveness is more than excusing someone’s bad behaviour; it is much more. Forgiveness is a state of grace that enables a person to release resentment and be fully responsible for everything that they experience in life. It heals the poison of blame and guilt.

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