Thursday, May 01, 2008

Explanations and Excuses


There are people who go through life using explanations as excuses.


The fact that some behavior can be explained does not mean that it should be excused. I may act discourteously because I was upset about a completely unrelated event. That explains my behavior but does not necessarily excuse it.


The individuals who use explanations as excuses often hide their misconduct in the forest of feelings. "I was angry," "I was tired," and "I had other things on my mind" are just a few of their alibis. Those would have some impact if they were combined with a sincere apology and a commitment to strive to avoid such conduct in the future. The explainers, however, often see the explanation as sufficient unto itself. No apology is required. There were reasons. Case closed.


Henry Ford II said, "Never complain. Never explain." I wouldn't go that far. But I'd add, "If you are going to explain, make sure that you are not equating your explanation with an excuse."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The way I see it, excuses are only good when offered very rarely. I mean like less than once every two years might be too often. Once you are in the habit of giving them, you might as well wear a "whiner" sign on your back.