Recognizing that we have made a mistake, acknowledging it, attempting to make amends, or at least trying not to do it again, is the pathway to growth, whether ritualized or not. Working to improve ourselves isn’t only good in the abstract. It’s a massive evolutionary advantage. If we couldn’t learn that this plant is poisonous or that river has a strong undercurrent, we could die. If we couldn’t learn to work out our differences with the other members of our community, that might kill us, too. We’ve always had to learn the error of our ways and strive to be better. It’s just the definition of
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