I reached out
to another writer
who had harmed me,
asking her WHY she did it.
She received the message
but she ignored it.
Previously, I had thought
she had harmed me
out of ignorance.
She didn’t know
what the consequences would be.
Now, I suspect she knew.
She didn’t offer an explanation
because she knew
an honest explanation
would make the situation worse.
Lack of an explanation,
however,
does the same thing.
When you’ve harmed someone,
and we all harm someone
from time to time,
there’s a temptation
to ‘ignore them
and hope they go away.’
They WILL go away
…eventually
but they will go away
hurt or angry or disappointed
and
they WILL think the worst
FOREVER.
Your response
doesn’t have to include
an acceptance of blame.
“I’m sorry you were hurt”
is perfectly sufficient
for most situations.
But, if you care
at all
about having a relationship
with the person/entity,
respond.