Arrogant Nazis in Sylt - What are my options when I've made a serious mistake?
The footage of the Nazi-blundering teens from Sylt: While the wrongdoers attempted to vanish, they still encounter potential job losses, damage claims, and legal actions.
One of the Sylt revellers has provided an apology. But how can one genuinely trust it?
#### Disappearing?
- Vanish into oblivion and stay silent. Since, as Anda, current CEO of ABC Communication, puts it, "Every significant crisis - apart from war - typically fades away in the media within ten weeks."
- Muster the courage to ask for absolution openly and unequivocally!
- An alternative method might be: Strike back!
However, if these Sylt youths anticipate working anywhere other than for the AfD in the future, their sole recourse is to offer a heartfelt contrition, which may still aid in their seeking a new job, even if it doesn't rectify the wrong. "But just because one apologizes doesn't make things right. It could assist in job hunting," Anda concurs.
#### Being Truthful with Oneself
Yet, even an apology might now be inadequate, acknowledges communication psychologist Professor Jo Groebel (73) from the German Digital Institute. Before anyone considers reconciling, though, a benevolent self-assessment must come first:
"Am I really remorseful about it, or merely worried that others may judge me similarly?" Groebel suggests, "Seek out people who will honestly address me without seeking to comfort or lessen the gravity of my actions."
Ingenuous justifications that assign blame to others, situations, medication, alcohol, or a trying upbringing are not viable options. Nor is blurring the transgression by asserting, "However, others have also done it."
Groebel stresses, "The ramifications, depending on the gravity of the misdeed, could potentially be life-altering. Loss of trust and credibility, employment loss, and a substantial shift in personal and emotional circumstances are all potential consequences."
#### "Active Regret"
"These young people are seemingly privileged," insists the Protestant theologian and pastor Margot Käßmann (65). "They have the means to afford an extravagant bar because their parents provide for them. They're not simpletons. Still, their conduct was more than just a blunder."
Indeed, everyone errs. "If a grave misconduct becomes public, disseminated, and debated across all media, one should just disappear into a deep void," concludes Käßmann. But that won't work, she recognizes: "I can only endorse: Show your remorse for your deeds. Issue a collective apology, and offer to volunteer for two weeks at a prior concentration camp or a refugee shelter."
The condemned who require support can reach out to Käßmann: "Active regret signifies expressing one's own culpability. My experience suggests: If you stand up for your own wrongdoing, there is potential for forgiveness and the opportunity to start anew. This is also biblical."
#### "Assumption of Non-Guilt"
"The Sylt offenders are still legally recognized as innocent," clarifies criminal lawyer Arndt Kempgens (55). "Therefore, the Sylt offenders remain presumed innocent until convicted."
"Especially for younger people, what others project upon them is crucial," emphasizes the lawyer. "And to add on: In extreme circumstances, everyone deserves a second chance and a pathway to rehabilitation."
It is particularly essential to underscore this in cases that have become publicly known, acknowledges Kempgens: "Because the public 'sentencing' often lingers for a considerably longer period than the official criminal investigation process."
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Source: symclub.org
