This was apparently written for people who deal with children, and granted very many people do that, but it struck me how much this can actually apply to us adults. An apology which is really meant can do a lot to undo whatever went wrong, whether it went wrong for everyone involved, or only inside your own head.

Article in extended.

It is always perplexing to me how this has happened. When I was about ten years old, I'd be walking to the stables, saddling my horse and then riding out of the city into the uninhabited wilderness, all on my own. My mare was prone to try and run up onto the highway alongside which I had to ride before I got out of the city. I don't suppose ten year olds today would be allowed the same kind of freedom, and that is a sad thing.

An interesting game-theory look at fair play and spite.

A hodge-podge of links in the extended.