Sacrifice poses lots of questions. The dictionary defines sacrifice this way: “The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.” When we sacrifice, we’re giving up something that we cherish for the sake of something–often intangible–that we know that we should want, but which is hard for us to understand.
When do we use the word sacrifice? There’s the religious connotations, of course. The sacrifices in the book of Leviticus, for example–in Hebrew, the word for sacrifice is related to the word that means “to draw near”–seem to be about giving up something valuable, something of great physical value, for a relationship with a spiritual being.
There are also the idealistic connotations, as in “He sacrificed his life for the sake of his country.” (See the Big Question ‘Would you die for a cause?’ for more on this.) This is not so much about sustaining a relationship as about giving of oneself for the good of others. It’s altruistic sacrifice, which is different than the sacrifice of relationship-maintenance, where we can experience the benefits of the sacrifice afterwards.
When we talk about sacrificing in order to change the world, what kinds of things are we talking about? What are tangible things we should give up? And what are intangibles: relationships, attitudes, ways of thinking or experiencing our lives? And what motivates us: altruism and idealism? A relationship or commitment? What kinds of sacrifices, and what kinds of changes, should we attempt?
convenience.
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Money.
Tue 22, 2008 2:16