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re: No, not sympathy or empathy: it's apology.
gbaikie — (archived)

Ah, but isn't it interesting that a country such as Japan who in their culture treat apology as a high art form {tea ceremony} seems to have problems apologizing to China, for such things as Nanking.
I would note the obvious that various cultures and subculture have different ways of apologizing and recognizing what is an apology. A typical redneck Texan for instance may have a different way of apologizing than typical urban New Yorker. I believe if you ask the Japanese [who as a culture have spent consider amount of time and effort perfecting the apology, they will tell you that the apology is largely about empathy]. It's also interesting that giving gifts is also an aspects of apology. One could look at Christmas throught the lens of seeing as a ritual of apology [and also an important aspect of the tea ceremony also involves giving gifts].

But to simplify and boil down the essense, an apology is about "giving your time to another". Apology is not a series of words. Apology is not a box of chocolates. Apology from a materialistic worldview doesn't make much sense. Apology is "a thing" of the spiritual universe which a box of chocolates or a series of words symbolizes.

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