Promises

Children make promises to their parents, vowing never to repeat their past mistakes. In return, parents promise to fulfill their children’s requests. Husbands, wives, and lovers also make promises to each other, declaring their eternal love. Even prisoners make promises, vowing to lead a law-abiding life. Many of these promises share two commonalities: they end with words of sincerity, such as “Cross my heart,” but they often fail to be kept. Despite our good intentions, why do our words break? And what can we do to avoid breaking our promises? After all, promises are commitments.