The word “sorry” originated from the Old English word “sarig,” which meant “distressed, grieved, full of sorrow”. Over time, its meaning evolved to convey a sense of regret or apology for something done wrong or causing harm.
The world has now changed, and the Sorry in the 21st century comes in different flavours, meanings, usage and context.
There is a formal sorry, the magic word that parents taught us and a double barrel “sorry-sorry” i.e. only say it if you mean it, and say it twice but quickly.
A super stretched sorry with an adjective, sooo sorrry, and a shorter GenZ version soz.
A sorry that you want one to believe, really sorry, and a milder one in the form of Oops, which is a sorry but not really a sorry.
As if the confusion was not good enough, a new sorry that has emerged in recent times via emoticons: ๐๐๐, which keeps everyone guessing in relation to the degree of sorry.
There is a more dramatised version of Sorry too, a bollywood sorry. A sorry that is enforced, the one that we see in Bollywood movies e.g. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara!, “for how many more times do I need to say sorry?”, the hero responds, “Jab tak dil se na nikle, tab tak”, meaning, keep saying “sorry” until it doesn’t come from your heart! I feel sorry for Farhan Akhtar.
Sorry has a time dimension too. A sorry that should have come at that moment but was put on hold until a certain maturity of that individual was reached i.e. a delayed sorry, a sorry which is retrospective in nature and then we have individuals who knows what they are doing, so posting a sorry in advance as well, something similar to thanks in advance.
We have a sorry that is singular and covers only one guilt, but a plural sorry, a package clubbing tons of guilts together, “apologies“!
But there are two other types of sorry, a check-in sorry and a check-out sorry. These are the ones that really matters in life.
The check-in sorry is the sorry that we say irrespective of whose fault it is, because the value of Two together in the relationship is more than the value of One alone, i.e. do not try to prove whose fault it is. This is the sorry if it gets missed, either by the sayer or by the receiver, then the all important world is lost forever. Save your world if you can with the magic word, if it matters to you. This is the all important Sorry!
And another one to be mindful of is the check-out sorry. This is the sorry to be said if you have decided to end a relationship, the I-cannot-take-it-anymore-moment! Again, here, it does not matter whose fault it is. The sayer just wants to end it all, forget and forgive, and move on. Here the value of Zero i.e. coming out of the relationship, is more important than the value of One i.e. let “me” teach you a lesson. Teaching a lesson will only create hatred, and will be difficult for the one to not think of that person later. Best is to forgive the person by saying sorry, and walk out. If you are a receiver of a check-out sorry then worth being consious. You may think of this as your success, but it is only temporary. Your mistake or your action has caused a dear one to walk out of your life. If that person matters to you then reach out to your check-in sorry from the bottom of your heart!
Our parents were right, it is a magic word that can help save relationships. Our relationships with friends, families and colleagues are the worlds that we have created for us, and a simple sorry can save it break apart.
Have I have missed any more sorries? If yes, then I’m truly sorry! ๐
Bhavin Shukla 
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