Excuses, Excuses
I was reading an article in an RD magazine about “giving excuses.” It sort of got me thinking a bit.
I wonder, why do we make excuses?
And how often do we do it?
While some excuses can be relatively mild,
Others can be amazingly imaginative and wild.
Hey, it rhymes! xD
Why do we persist in making excuses and why do we think we’re so good at it? After all, most people can see right through even our “best excuse.” It’s rare that we can get away with our often times, “lame” excuses. Think back to the last excuse you made. How effective was it anyway?
Another thought that bothers me is: Can an excuse be a lie? Or is it a mere explanation?
Excuses are designed to justify your position or actions and remove you from blame. Explanations are an innocent attempt to clarify your behavior. While some excuses are a simple way to escape punishment, most excuses end up being a sort of lie. But giving excuses seems like a minor offense, doesn’t it? I think so, too. As long as we’re not really telling an absolute lie, it’s not really all that bad, is it?
Dr. Ginger E. Blume says that, “the very psychological and mental processes of dreaming up excuses are both emotionally draining and personally demeaning. Your self-respect suffers, even when someone else is unaware that you’ve covered over the truth. So make a decision to switch from using excuses to making explanations.”
When we are “caught in the act”, do we accept responsibility and admit we are at fault? Usually not. Instead, we make excuses. Excuses negate responsibility. Inspirational author Chuck Gallozzi says, “By refusing to make excuses and embracing responsibility, we reap many rewards.”
Leaving you to ponder on this, I will conclude with this verse:
Ecclesiastes 5:6 says, “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?”
I was reading an article in an RD magazine about “giving excuses.” It sort of got me thinking a bit.
I wonder, why do we make excuses?
And how often do we do it?
While some excuses can be relatively mild,
Others can be amazingly imaginative and wild.
Hey, it rhymes! xD
Why do we persist in making excuses and why do we think we’re so good at it? After all, most people can see right through even our “best excuse.” It’s rare that we can get away with our often times, “lame” excuses. Think back to the last excuse you made. How effective was it anyway?
Another thought that bothers me is: Can an excuse be a lie? Or is it a mere explanation?
Excuses are designed to justify your position or actions and remove you from blame. Explanations are an innocent attempt to clarify your behavior. While some excuses are a simple way to escape punishment, most excuses end up being a sort of lie. But giving excuses seems like a minor offense, doesn’t it? I think so, too. As long as we’re not really telling an absolute lie, it’s not really all that bad, is it?
Dr. Ginger E. Blume says that, “the very psychological and mental processes of dreaming up excuses are both emotionally draining and personally demeaning. Your self-respect suffers, even when someone else is unaware that you’ve covered over the truth. So make a decision to switch from using excuses to making explanations.”
When we are “caught in the act”, do we accept responsibility and admit we are at fault? Usually not. Instead, we make excuses. Excuses negate responsibility. Inspirational author Chuck Gallozzi says, “By refusing to make excuses and embracing responsibility, we reap many rewards.”
Leaving you to ponder on this, I will conclude with this verse:
Ecclesiastes 5:6 says, “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?”
He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else – Benjamin Franklin
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