On Apologies

Nothing to do with anything..

But I thought this would be as good a time as any to soliloquize about apologies. Top five things to remember:

1. No one owes you an apology - so if they do, consider yourself overpaid!
2. The world being as it is, never expect an apology - but if they do, be surprised, astonished, overwhelmed!
3. Sometimes, those ingrates, they mean to ignore you, insult you, rub your nose to the ground, hurt you, all of those things...BUT sometimes, sometimes their error can be purely inadvertent, and so when they do apologize, let it GO!
4. And then again, in pure self-interest, while you may think right now you can be done with them, and that you don't really need them, who knows there may come a time when you do - so if they do apologize, when they didn't have to (see 1 above), when many others don't (2 above), when it was inadvertent (3 above), consider that you may sometime or the other need them, so be a grown up and save their face for them, let them live another day to save your face for you perhaps!
5. And last of all - even if 1, 2, 3, 4, above do not matter, remember:
   

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd;
   It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
   Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
   It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
   'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
   The throned monarch better than his crown;
   His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
   The attribute to awe and majesty,
   Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
   But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
   It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
   It is an attribute to God himself;
   And earthly power doth then show likest God's
   When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
   Though justice be thy plea, consider this-
   That in the course of justice none of us
   Should see salvation; we do pray for mercy,
   And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
   The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
   To mitigate the justice of thy plea,
   Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
   Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there."

Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/1ws1810.txt