Below is an excerpt of Fareed Zakaria's apology after he copied something or the other from a woman who writes for the New Yorker:
"They are right. I made a terrible mistake. It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault. I apologize unreservedly to her, to my editors at Time, and to my readers."
It's beautiful.
And here's how you cloak the shirking of responsibilities in the form of an apology
"But I told the grand jury today and I say to you now that at no time did I ask anyone to lie, to hide or destroy evidence or to take any other unlawful action.I know that my public comments and my silence about this matter gave a false impression. I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that."
Excuses have no place in an atonement.
As with anything else, apologies should also have structure.
1) The wrong you did - I'd like to hear it from you even if I already know what you did
2) The right that was - So we don't have different interpretations of your folly
3) Say sorry - It's not all objective. Feel bad for what you did. Hit me with your best shit-eating face. Don't grin.
4) Set an agenda for follow-up - So you fucked up. What's next? How do we make sure it doesn't happen again?
For example: "I dyed your white shirt blue. I shouldn't have mixed it with the colors. Sorry, I fucked up. I will make sure I separate the whites next time onwards"
