The definition of Sacrifice

Merriam-Webster defines sacrifice as: destruction or surrender

of something for the sake of something else, something given up or lost, the sacrifices made by parents.

I have discovered in recent years that the definition of sacrifice varies more with other factors, generation, political beliefs, political party, etc.  The “greatest” generation, those born from 1911 to 1924, seemed to sacrifice a great deal.  Many of these people suffered through the great depression, many went on to fight in World War II, and many did not come home.  There are those that didn’t fight for our country in Europe or the Pacific but worked in factories to support the war effort, but all were impacted by the war.

Everyone was restricted in the fuel they could use; scrap metal was reused to make planes, tanks, ammunition, etc.  People made do with what they had at the time, if the radio broke you fixed it, you didn’t throw it away and buy a new one, people didn’t replace cars every twelve months because it was “old”.

Now as a child of 60’s generation parents I struggle to find they’re definition of sacrifice.  War was once again the dominant issue of the day but this time it was being protested.  There wasn’t nearly the effort around manufacturing products for war.  Our political leaders didn’t explain the necessity of this war to the people in a way that they could understand.  We weren’t attacked at home like Pearl Harbor, war was just a distant place where young men went to fight and many came home in flag draped coffins because our political leaders didn’t have the temerity to fight a war the way war should be fought, to win.

Many in this generation, war protestors and political leaders alike, lacked the courage to understand this war for what it was, a battle in the war against communism.  The troops in the field showed a great deal of courage, they did their duty, many times not understanding why, they fought a ruthless enemy, too many of them made the ultimate sacrifice because our political leaders were too willing to spill the blood of Americans to minimize collateral damage of others.  For those that fought, for those who had family that fought, for those POW’s and for the families of those POW’s, they made sacrifices that probably only a few could ever truly understand.

On to the generation X crowd.  We are the computer generation that has helped the Internet become what it is today.  Sacrifice was having a CD player that held only one CD at a time, Sacrifice was having to watch TV with one of your parents because there were only two TV’s in the house with cable.  Some went to Iraq in 1991 and fought to liberate Kuwait and we learned once again what war was about.  Right vs. Wrong, bully’s picking on the weak, while few of this generation fought in combat there are many that were in the military voluntarily and would have had no problem fighting the battle.

Many of this same generation are back in Iraq or in Afghanistan fighting once again.  This time the reasons are more basic, survival, freedom, and the belief that everyone, given the choice, will choose freedom over tyranny.  We were attacked on September 11, 2001.  This fact seems to get lost to many in this country, the media seems to look at the same as it does everything else, strictly through the lens of ratings and how can we help advance liberalism.

The next time someone wants to discuss sacrifice, and what they can’t give up today to help support troops in battle, or help secure our freedom, or the freedom of over 50 million people liberated from tyranny since 2001 remember back 231 years ago when fifty six men from thirteen future states, in a future nation, signed a document that could have cost them their lives, their families, their homes, their way of life.

Don’t lecture people about sacrifice unless you’re willing and able to remember those before you that sacrificed for your ability to lecture others.

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