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Great story. However, this clearly was not a sacrifice. It would be a sacrifice if he had made himself miserable for the sake of the dog. We have a culture th

by javert 13y ago

Great story. However, this clearly was not a sacrifice. It would be a sacrifice if he had made himself miserable for the sake of the dog. We have a culture that glorifies sacrifice, and we need to stop doing that. Sacrifice is a barbaric, religious notion. Nobody truly gains by others' sacrifices.

eshvk 13y ago
You are lucky the west is a guilt based culture; this glorification of sacrifice goes even further in shame based cultures.
- javert 13y ago
  I can't imagine any form of sacrifice-worship more severe than Christianity, which has generally ruled the west for 1700 years. That said, many Westerners are much better than the central theme of their religion. I can't really speak for eastern cultures. You may be right.
PakG1 13y ago
We have a culture that glorifies sacrifice because sacrifice deserves a good reputation in general. The source may be religious. To quote a religious source, "Great love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Whether it's a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to protect his fellow men in service, my poor immigrant aunt forgoing university to work right away so that all of her poor immigrant younger siblings would be able to afford to go to university, or a kid using his allowance to donate to charities that help kids in wartorn nations instead of buying himself a new toy, sacrifice is laudable. And sacrifice does not necessitate misery. That's a false definition of what sacrifice entails. Yes, sacrifice can involve misery, but it does not necessitate misery. Many who sacrifice do it because it is meaningful and they have no bitterness from doing it. My aunt regrets never going to university. But she would make the same decision again in a heartbeat. Sacrifice is glorified for a reason. In the example of the soldier, it is because of bravery and courage. In the case of my aunt, it is because of responsibility. In the case of the kid, it is because of warmheartedness. In all three cases, you could say it traces all back to a deep sense of love and wanting to do what's right. And there is nothing wrong with that at all.

by javert 13y ago

eshvk 13y ago

You are lucky the west is a guilt based culture; this glorification of sacrifice goes even further in shame based cultures.

javert 13y ago
I can't imagine any form of sacrifice-worship more severe than Christianity, which has generally ruled the west for 1700 years. That said, many Westerners are much better than the central theme of their religion. I can't really speak for eastern cultures. You may be right.

PakG1 13y ago

We have a culture that glorifies sacrifice because sacrifice deserves a good reputation in general. The source may be religious. To quote a religious source, "Great love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Whether it's a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to protect his fellow men in service, my poor immigrant aunt forgoing university to work right away so that all of her poor immigrant younger siblings would be able to afford to go to university, or a kid using his allowance to donate to charities that help kids in wartorn nations instead of buying himself a new toy, sacrifice is laudable. And sacrifice does not necessitate misery. That's a false definition of what sacrifice entails. Yes, sacrifice can involve misery, but it does not necessitate misery. Many who sacrifice do it because it is meaningful and they have no bitterness from doing it. My aunt regrets never going to university. But she would make the same decision again in a heartbeat. Sacrifice is glorified for a reason. In the example of the soldier, it is because of bravery and courage. In the case of my aunt, it is because of responsibility. In the case of the kid, it is because of warmheartedness. In all three cases, you could say it traces all back to a deep sense of love and wanting to do what's right. And there is nothing wrong with that at all.