A recent conversation with a junior of mine raised the topic of "sacrifice". The talks were concerning friendship in general hovering over semi and fully processed glasses of alcohol. He pointed out that I as a friend had failed to sacrifice something to make another friend of mine happy. To avoid monotone, I did not explain the point (or rather pointless-ness) of sacrifices using my "selfishness of man" theory. Rather, I maintained that it should have never come to the point where I was asked to sacrifice for a friend's sake.
If I need point out again, sacrifice is another selfish human gesture. One sacrifices for his friends because it makes him feel good about it. Curtly put.
But let us try to stray off the path a little. (After all its not always fun to do things the simpler way!) Sacrifice, as far as I believe, is the voluantary giving up of things that you would rather have. Sacrificing something for a friend means that you give up things because the particular friend of your's wants you to. And a friend is supposed to be one who cares for and respects you for what you are... I believe the point/pointless-ness is made.
Sacrificing for your friends is something that you do voluntarily if you see your friend's benifit in it. Sacrifices are not something that a friend would demand of you. If not made, it's not something that he would hold against you (neither is it something that will bug your conscience).
My opinion, however paltry and contrary to popular notions, expresses that the best human relations are ones that require no sacrifice. Hardly do you need not travel lengths because you've been asked to, but because you want to, and still be glad to do it again. These relations come as not only human, but even your pet dog, or your fancy new car, or your ego even [:D].
I leave you with a couple of quotes to ponder upon:
Gandhi, one of the persons I do not usually agree with, remarked on the essence of sacrificing as follows:
“The sacrifice which causes sorrow to the doer of the sacrifice is no sacrifice. Real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer and gives him a sense of peace and joy. The Buddha gave up the pleasures of life because they had become painful to him.”
And Oscar Wilde:
“A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.”
