Generation "I'm Sorry"

Today is... was a sleepy day. One of those days where a tired haze has hovered over me all day. Could it be due to my body fighting back after a killer run? Most likely. Naps were necessary.

Today was also a fall preview day. I can't say that I enjoy fall preview days, because they kind of freak me out. It's the idea of "That was me last year" that weirds me out. Even though it's only been a year, it makes me feel ancient. Perhaps wiser? ...Yeah, sure.

Since it's been a day of do-nothingness, I will talk about something that I have recently been observing more and more.
Let's state one thing here first of all. My age group is actually a pretty nice group of people. Statistically speaking, we've done more volunteer work than any other generation. Also, it could just be Oregon but people are extremely nice. They hold doors open, greet you with a friendly smile, and say bless you when you sneeze. All that lovely stuff you were taught to do as a child. There is only one little thing that makes us bothersome to deal with though. My generation is WAY too over apologetic.

Now, you may be thinking, "Isn't it good to apologize?" Why yes, it is. However this age group decides that we need to say sorry for everything.

Someone bumps into you. "Sorry."
You didn't do amazing on a test. "Sorry."
Someone accidentally interrupts. "Sorry."
They have to leave to get to class. "Sorry."

I'm all for apologizing when something needs to be apologized for. It's when you say sorry for every little thing that it's bothersome. It's like saying "I love you." too much. Those three words are usually used for something very special. When you say it all the time, it loses it's value. Same goes for sorry because when you say sorry for accidentally stepping in front of me with the same tone as when a tragic loss happened in my family, it doesn't sound very sincere. (That's just an example, nothing like that has happened.)

Words are meant to be special for certain things. When a word is overused, it just becomes noise.
The next comment may make this whole speech sound hypocritical. I used to use sorry ALL of the time. My family hated it. I hated it. I started trying to use it less and less. I think I've gotten pretty good at it. The biggest factor of my change? Realizing that when you use sorry all of the time, it's really annoying.
Yes, you're trying to be nice. It just starts sounding insincere.

So, if you're one of my generation who uses sorry way too often, try to stop yourself next time when it isn't necessary. You'll discover that it's nice when it really means something to apologize. ...Although apologizing is usually linked to something bad happening. You get what I mean.

I need to go to a show tonight in Linfield for Theatre. Time for me to get dressed and ready!

Do you over apologize? Do you know someone who does?