Sorry

The bathrooms in the corridor where I work are kind of ridiculous. There are a good number of stalls which are never full. To get to these stalls is a long hall, which is not a problem, but then you turn a corner and bam. There is a good 15 foot stretch where two people cannot pass comfortably. The number of times I have had to duck into a little nook to let other people pass by is not countable. Yesterday I encountered this situation with a lady. As usual, I ducked out of the way, but as she passed by on her way out, she apologized.
Why did she apologize? Why did the word 'sorry' slip from her lips? She wasn't the genius that designed this small space. I heard somewhere that Canadians are among the most polite countries in the world. A lot of my American friends would make fun of the fact that we were always apologizing for everything. As I think about it, I realize just how ridiculous it is. Only in Canada, so the joke goes, will someone apologize to the person who bumped into them. It is ridiculous but true.
At work this happens all the time. There are four of us, working in a small space to serve our customers well. We run into each other and bump each other all the time. I say sorry to my co-workers dozens of times a day. There used to be someone from the company who would come and check on us, organize a few things, etc. He would be with us, behind the counter, and would bump into us, brush past us, etc. And you know... he never once apologized. And it royally ticked us off.
We are programed to be polite to each other. Where did this come from? No idea. But everywhere I go, if someone bumps into me, I will apologize... As if it were my fault for being in their way and they were not in the wrong at all.
What does this do to us psychologically? It seems to be such a small thing, but I am beginning to think that these little apologies, though polite for sure, are slowly chipping away at our secure mental being. Though I will always apologize at work for nudging someone, is there really a reason for me to apologize to my voice teacher for singing something less than perfect? No.
This used to drive one of my voice teachers crazy. He was always telling me to stop saying I'm sorry. In that environment, in that room, I was supposed to make mistakes. He was supposed to fix them. And this is exactly what happened, but every time I would make that mistake, that fateful word, 'sorry' would slip out of my mouth.
When we apologize for no reason, I think it ends up being demeaning to ourselves. It is like we are putting ourselves down without realizing it. Slowly building up an insecure wall, without meaning to and without realizing it.
We need to be more positive. None of this negative speech. 'Sorry', when used in the proper context, when you are ACTUALLY in the wrong, is appropriate. But lets think about it a little bit... and use it a little bit less... because most of the time when you say it, I bet you anything that you are not, in fact, in the wrong.
Blessings and love
De