Sacrifice

I feel like the true meaning of this word is lost on military cliches, chess strategies, and murmurs of ancient Aztec rituals. There is something more.

This definition, taken verbatim from the dictionary reads, "The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim." Even though this is an accurate description of the word, It lacks something. It is rather impersonal; it lacks intimacy, passion and heart. It rightly describes the action, but isn't descriptive enough of the one making the sacrifice.

The act of sacrifice is an act of love. Giving up something desired or loved in return for a greater love, a better future, or sometimes...nothing. Sometimes sacrifice is about preparing for your own future, but sometimes sacrifice is about making sure the ones you love will be taken care of, even if they never know the deeds that were done. True, this is a worthy cause of "pressing claim", but it has nothing to do with the person making the sacrifice. It is a sacrifice wherin the reward is gained by another at the cost of oneself. A reward that might even be rejected or misunderstood. This is true love.

Some children will never understand the things that their parents who love them do for them. The hours they work, the cut-backs they make, the time they commit. Some friends will never know the things that their friends did for them. They will never know the selfless acts that were done with no thought of reward or even recognition for their deeds. Acts which tore their heart as they were done, but were done whole-heartedly nonehteless. They will sometimes not understand, and sometimes not even know.

True sacrifice is about the sacrificer making sure that the person they love can have the best life possible. Sacrifice doesn't always have a personal reward, sometimes it is truly selfless. But who looks after those who sacrifice something prized, something loved so much, for the well-being of those they care about?