Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Sacrifice
Today in class, Professor Silliman brought up an interesting point that even now a few hours after class, I am thinking about it. That point is that he said that although he'd like to live a long life, if the time came when he would sacrifice his life to better the planet then he would. This got me thinking about if I was actually willing to give up my life to make the world a better place. Would I be able to give up all the things I value to help ensure the survival of something that allows the rest of the world to hold their values? At this point, I don't know. I would like to say that I would be able to, and know that I am being one hundred precent truthful, but that isn't that case. Maybe this is because I am still young, but I feel like I haven't come close to experiencing enough in my life to be able to give up my life, even if it's got a good cause, or a cause bigger then myself as an individual. Does that make me stubborn or unreasonable? Am I to self-absorbed? Should I expect someone else to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the planet if I am not able to do it myself? Is that fair?
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Chris, I don't think you are self-absorbed. Sacrificing ones life in any circumstance is a very difficult decision on many levels. I think what Matt was saying is that if he could be 100% sure that the world and the environment would be saved he would do this in a heartbeat. I would certainly have to think about the decision as well, but there certainly is something to be said for being a part of something that is much bigger than yourself. If it was completely guaranteed that it would work, I think I would be willing to die for a cause that I believe in as well.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we never know anything important with that degree of certainty, so it a sense it's a hollow claim, but it is at least a starting point for thinking about the notion that there are things worth dying -- or risking your life -- for.
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