Feeling Sorry

 Can you tell someone you are sorry for something you did, even if you don’t feel any sorrow?  Yes.  Feeling sorry is not under your control.  Saying you are sorry is an act of the will.  You can control that to some extent.  But you cannot control your feelings.  Think of feeling angry.  You feel angry.  You did not decide to feel angry.  It just came up emotionally.  But you can decide to act other than angry.  It is an act of the will.  Now some people, addicts for instance, have broken wills.  They kept wanting to stop but never could.  Their will-power was too damaged.  But in recovery they get a will that works much better.  Through the steps which they decide to do even if they do not “feel” like doing them, they can get to where they apologize for bad behavior.  They don’t have to wait to feel anything before they do  most any of the steps.