The concept of sacrifice seems more suited to novels or epic movies. It appears more an ideal; a concept that when observed from a safe distance seems wonderfully heroic, deeply inspiring and chivalrous in a way that stirs up something powerful in us that seems to be forever held hostage despite the fact that it gets stirred. Sacrifice, as we watch it displayed from afar, awakens some internal passion that chafes against our souls in its quest to be unleashed within us.
The concept of sacrifice seems more suited to novels or epic movies. It appears more an ideal; a concept that when observed from a safe distance seems wonderfully heroic, deeply inspiring and chivalrous in a way that stirs up something powerful in us that seems to be forever held hostage despite the fact that it gets stirred. Sacrifice, as we watch it displayed from afar, awakens some internal passion that chafes against our souls in its quest to be unleashed within us.
Somehow sacrifice seems to be something that is entirely right, that is likewise entirely lost. There are those things that we believe exist yet are lost to mankind; the things we are ever in search of not because we are caught up in some sort of shallow fascination with them. Rather, there are those things that we know to be authentically real whose absence must be remedied by their discovery. There are those things that we are made for,yet which are entirely absent.
Sacrifice is one of those things. It’s something that we know we are all called to. It’s one of those things that we know is the right thing to do; that it’s part of our humanity and represents something undeniably central. Sacrifice is the totality of our humanity called upward and outward in a grand display of selfless behavior. It declares that we are not made solely for ourselves, but that we are made for others. It captivates our minds and catapults our actions to do things we never dreamt possible. Indeed, it defines the core of our humanity; representing the ultimate action that one human being can take on behalf of another human being. That’s sacrifice.
The Balance of Sacrifice
All of this doesn’t mean that our lives are always about other people. It’s simply about priority and the arrangement of things in our lives. Our culture, and in many cases our world seems bent on maximizing our personal gains in any situation. There appears to be an inherent mentality that the self can be sacrificed, but only to the degree that the self is not actually threatened, or threatened beyond likely recovery. Sacrifice is calculated and made clean. Certainly, we must exercise wisdom when we take actions on the behalf of others, but a clear set of priorities would seem to dictate the manner in which we act with others in mind.
Priorities
It seems that our actions are dictated by our priorities. There appears to be this inherent grid that we run decisions through. That grid seems primarily to hold the welfare of self above everything else. Clearly,that seems to be in keeping with the natural tendencies and behaviors of base human nature.
Yet, there is a sense of some deep sort that runs entirely contrary to human nature; that in putting ourselves first, we must by necessity put others first. There’s some sort of sense of community, of relationship and connection that deems us only a part of a much large whole. And as a part of that larger whole, we are obligated to preserve the whole above the preservation of self. That dichotomy all seems rather strange because it appears to run against our natural inclinations to make certain that we’re okay and that our personal interests are protected.
What’s the End-Game?
We all ask where we want everything to end up. At the end of it all, when our days are over and the fullness of our time, talents and energies are spent what will be left? That’s a terribly big, and in some cases, a terribly frightening question.
If our focus is upon ourselves, then the end results of our lives will be likewise focused on us. The benefits and resources that we will have garnered and spent will serve us and us alone. That might make for a life that we perceived as satisfying and a good ride, but it ends at our end. The service of self terminates at our own death. Therefore we will have left nothing that outlives us, nothing that serves the greater good, nothing for those who remain. It would seem that the end-game is indeed the end-game in a manner tragic and unfortunate.
What About Legacy?
What kind of footprint will each of us leave? Will it be big enough and broad enough that others are enriched by it and find both comfort and inspiration init? Will it have changed lives, redirected people who were on crash courses to their own destruction, or given someone somewhere some degree of hope in a place where they saw none for themselves? Will our legacy live on, not just for the purpose of living on but for the purpose of giving others purpose? Are we committed to leaving something of value behind that will cost us, but will in turn be of inestimable value to someone else, someplace else? Or are our lives spent in the service of self which means it all begins, and more tragically ends there?
In leaving a legacy, we can’t be so shallow as to leave a legacy of who we were as some sort of monument to self. Monuments are not legacies, they are simply reminders. A legacy is leaving something to others for the sole purpose that it gives them something valuable and needed in their own journey whether we are given the credit for that or not. It’s a selfless detachment where we hand another human being something that may very well be life-saving without them knowing its origin or being able to credit the one who gave it to them. It’s a gift that is given for no other purpose than the nature of the gift and the recipient who will receive it; the giver being entirely lost in the transaction. That is sacrifice.
How Will I Live?
Sacrifice . . . it runs contrary to who we are, but it is in reality everything that we are. The pinnacle of our humanity is ascended when we descend in the service of others. We are raised up when we lay ourselves down. It builds us, it builds others, and it builds families, communities and nations. Sacrifice is the best of our humanity manifest in shining moments when everything that would diminish us is overcome and set aside. It is all of us at our very best. So how then will you live?
