Blogging Prompt #2: On Confessions

After reading the prompt for this blog entry, I had to ask myself again, what exactly is the difference between confessions and apologies? I simply thought that they were pretty much one and the same concepts. But I decided that I would go to one of my favorite websites, www.dictionary.com to check it out. According to the website, a confession is an "acknowledgment; avowal; admission" while an apology is "a written or spoken expression of one's regret, remorse, or sorrow for having insulted, failed, injured, or wronged another".

Thinking about this for awhile, I thought about how confession seemed like as if it is like a "first step" into the concept of forgiveness. By acknowledging the wrong doing, we can assume that the opposite party does not know about the situation. However, the connotation of the word apology portrays one of being one of the "middle-steps" into the concept of forgiveness, or in other words, it could be the next step after confessing.

Rereading the definition of apology, I thought about how it also seemed as if it only pertained to when someone did something wrong to another party. But is this really the case? I understand the fact that confessing and apologies go hand-in-hand when a person did something wrong to another; but what about situations like in the ER or in general, hospitals? For example, say that there was a patient in the ER, while the family was waiting in the lobby to receive the results. After the procedure though, the doctors were not able to save the patient's life because the injuries were too severe. In this case, like all confessions, the family members do not know the results until the doctor informs them of the results. However, the question is, "did the doctors do anything wrong?" I think not. By apologizing, this portrays sympathy towards the family and shows that the doctors did all they could to save the patient's life.

In pertaining to writing, I think that writing about confessions is an interesting way to portray one's thoughts and experiences. Because of such a personal writing approach, it would draw many readers because they may also have the same or similar experiences. One can also bring out many emotions while writing about his or her confessions. Writing in a diary or blog may be a method for relieving stress for many people.
Confessions, apologies, confessions, apologies. We all do them at certain points in our lives. What's your take on them?

"To me it was never about what I accomplished on the football field, it was about the way I played the game." - Jerry Rice


Works Cited:
"Confession | Define Confession at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/confession>.
"Apology | Define Apology at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/apology>.