Mentoring Me

Never apologise - it's a sign of weakness, says Gibbs.
Later, much later, we learn this is not necessarily a golden rule, and that friends are afforded an exception of sorts; but generally, the rule still stands.
I was brought up by a generation who taught children were to be seen and not heard, so what do I really know? The rules these days are written in quicksand, changing with the tide of whimsy. After hearing these pearls of wisdom from a TV character who is a mentor to many, I sometimes wonder; do we loose more than we gain when we say sorry?
Where people appreciate honesty over accuracy the answer is easy, but when the world has evolved/devolved - the question remains the same - but has the answer changed?

I may not know, but I WANT to know.

I guess that every now and again, when curly questions raise their ugly little heads, it would be nice to have someone you respect, listen to your concerns and discuss the finer points of corporate ethics. But perhaps in the interim I'll stick to what I know.

While on the topic of mentors - I'd like to learn how to write; really write. I wonder if it is a skill that we are born with, or perhaps something that could be nurtured from a blank slate? Some would surely profess, I write therefore I am a writer; but I change the oil in my car - and that doesn't make me a mechanic.
When I look here, and I'm constantly amazed - I wonder if someone out there can make lemonade out of my lemons. If writing (well) is a gift, a talent you are born to, perhaps those who prefer to apologise need not apply to mentor this mess :)

A brutal answer will suffice, albeit with little ice cream on top please.