An Open Letter To The People I’ve Harmed

I never meant to harm you, but I did. Intentions are important, but what is more important is the action that follows. I had good intentions, but I chose to do what benefitted me, and in the process, I ended up hurting you. And for that I am sorry.

It has taken me years to admit my fault, because one of the worst things in the world is when we prioritize our ego over other people’s feelings. Sometimes we are so blinded by the need to be right that we do not care who ends up getting hurt in the process.

You might never forgive me, but I want to say I am sorry for the way I treated you and for the things I said. My ego was more important to me than our relationship, and I made the wrong choice.

I am late, but I want to reach out to you and tell you that I was wrong, because what I did was cruel. In life, I have harmed more people than just you. I had my reasons, but none of them validated my actions. You might never forgive me, and I cannot control that, but I am taking ownership for my actions and I am reaching out to you by burying my ego in the mountain of excuses.

I was stubborn, and a part of me knew what I was doing was wrong, but I did it anyway. There are no excuses. I am not a child, and when someone intentionally hurts others, there are consequences.

The truth is that I was selfish. I didn’t care how it hurt you and I felt bad about it, but I cared more about myself than you. In life, as adults, we cannot keep treating others with such disrespect and pain.

Sometimes I feel like it is harder to come forward and say I am sorry than letting it be. But I know that hiding behind my excuses is wrong. It is not easy to admit my mistakes, so it has taken me so long to say anything.

I think most people choose their ego over other people’s feelings because there is a tiny bit of evil in us all. Similarly, it is also possible for us to step up and do the right thing. Very few people can do that—I know I was never one of them.

I genuinely feel bad for the way I treated you and that I did not consider you. I was blinded by my egocentricity. To be honest, I thought I wouldn’t care about how my actions affected others, including you, but it has been slowly eating me up on the inside.

I am so embarrassed and humiliated for the kind of person I used to be that now I have to reach out to you and tell you what I did was wrong. I do not expect forgiveness, but I need you to know that it is not easy for me to do this now.

However, I know it is important to take responsibility for the pain I caused you, and whatever reasons I had were never an excuse.

I want to be a better person, and I have to start by making things right and admitting that I was wrong. I wish I had done this sooner, but I kept making more excuses and kept validating my actions.

We have to keep growing, and an important part of growing is admitting when we are wrong and having the guts to admit our faults, even if it’s not something that we want to do. Children get punished when they do something wrong, but as we become adults, we tend to try to get away with more things, knowing it is not right.

I am taking the first step and acknowledging my faults and mistakes. I am truly sorry. I did something terrible, and I will do whatever it takes to try to make it right.

I chose my ego over you, and I got what I deserved. I was immature. It is important to reach out and apologize when we know what we did is wrong.

I do not expect you to forget it all. I hope someday you will find it in your heart to forgive me for my mistakes. In hurting you, I ended up hurting myself and losing you forever.