Sacrifice

Sacrifice. Something that a lot of people know all too well. It's something that a LOT of people have had to do in their lives at one point or another. It's also something that a lot of people have chose not to go the route of when it came to something in their lives that required the choice.

One of the definitions of the word goes as follows. Sacrifice -noun. The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. I've seen a lot of people sacrifice for the sake of their family, their friends, their children. I've seen some people sacrifice jobs (see Colin Kaepernick) for what they strongly believe in, their families, their integrity, even their common sense for some conviction that they felt was so right, but ended up destroying them in the end. I've even seen 1 pay the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives to keep someone they love alive, (if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be typing this right now).

I know what those that will sacrifice for those that they love look like. Hell, I've been 1 of them more times than I care to admit. But I've always been curious about those that refuse to do it. Like what goes through your head when the choice is presented to you? Is there nothing in this world that you're not ready to sacrifice for? Is there no one in this world you will sacrifice for? This is why I've always been curious as to how men can just so easily walk away from their children. I completely understand that there are reasons that would make you walk away, 1 major one being that your spouse cheated and it's not your child, but I've never completely understood that if it's your child, why WOULDN'T you want to stay and take care of them?

I get that the relationship between the man and the woman has reached a point where they don't want to be with each other anymore, I completely get that. What about the child though? The person that didn't have a say in whether they wanted to be born or not. The child is depending on both of the parents for survival and understanding of the world in their limited view of it during that time. How can you look into the eyes of a child and willingly choose to walk away? How can you decide lay down for the fun and easy part of it, but as soon as it's time to step up, you decide to walk away? No child deserves that. There are things that each parent can teach to the child that the other cant, no matter how many super parents there are out there trying to do the best they can by being both parents to the child.

This is in no means to knock anyone. I've been on a bit of a mind altering path and I'm just trying to take a look at all the things that I've always seen, and REALLY take an in-depth look into the reasoning and the why of all decisions that I've seen made and my own decisions.

There will come a time in every one's life, especially as those moments continue in my life as well, where these moments will come up and you'll be faced with a choice. For some people, the answer will be as clear as day and there wont ever be a need to think about it. But for those that will question it and have to think, I ask you simply this:

Who are you?
What are you made of?
Do you really want to do this?
What are you really losing?
Do you care enough about those people to really do this?
Are you gonna be selfish or do the right thing?

The answers, decisions, and actions of people during those crucial moments will tell you a lot of what you need to know about them if you choose to see it. Everyone has to sacrifice something at some point in their lives. Will you be ready when your time comes?