Welcome to yet another post on life. I know I have promised a part 2 to the INTEGRATION post and it will follow at a later date.
You know sometimes you just contemplate and have an epiphany about something. Something profound. Yup, that happened. It dawned on me that in order to gain something you desire most, you must sacrifice something of equal value.
Great literature is litered with this concept. Some of hollywood's best performing movies and some of Japan's most prominent anime employ this in their literature and when executed correctly it makes the literature more impactful, the story more meaningful, and the audience relate to it even more.
Take Intestellar by Christopher Nolan as a prime example, Coop in his quest to save the remaining population of earth by means of high volume commercial farming and later realising that this solution is not long term he then sets out in search of an extra-terrestrial habitable planet. In order to achieve this he loses that which is most valuable to him, a life raising his beloved and prodiguous daughter, Murph. But not before sacrificing himself by plunging into a black hole in order to propel his crew out of reach of its gargantuan pull. To get where you want, you must leave something behind. It is the altimate sacrifice.
Most will be more familiar with this concept being explored in Avenngers: Infinity War and Endgame where in the former the main antagonist seeks to decimate half of all life in the universe in order to save itself from suffering and inevitable extinction. He has to kill perhaps the only person he has an affection for in Gamora in order to obtain the Soul Stone that along with 5 other stones would grant him the power to achieve his dream with a single snap. In the latter the protagonists also have to unknowingly sacrifice one of their own in order to attain the Soul Stone to undo Thanos' evil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A7T2rlskZM
In a more relatable film; Man On Fire, Creasy, the hired bodyguard of the Ramos family seeks to retrieve the now kidnapped daughter Pita, whom he has grown fond of. In a search for her he pilages through the kidnapping cindicate finally retrieving her. In the wake of all of the ensuing violence her trades his own life to get the little girl back.
The Japanese animators and writers explore this theme as well. In Naruto and more extensively in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. What makes this sacrifice and bitter-sweet victory so relatable for us though? Why do we take to this approach more than your tried and tested hero always triumphing over the villian?
Meaning. It all boils down to meaningfulness. Value. We tend to value more that which is finite, that which we can lose. Getting what we want at the cost of something of value to us makes us want to honour what we have lost and celebrate what we have gained because of it. It gives us meaning and value. Something to live for, a purpose.
Religious folk will often say; "He giveth and he taketh". I say one good hand deserves another. In our quest to pursue a career in order to live relatively comfortable lives and provide the lives for our children that we couldn't have, we have to sacrifice a lot. Opportunities to forge life-long friendships with people in varsity, SLEEP, our mental and physical health, epic parties the like which become the stuff of legend in years to come, rest, the spoils we could otherwise be treating ourselves to were it not for food, printing and materials credits, etc. Perhaps even the opportunity for a more wholistic development(archies, techies, and interiors do tend to be the weirdest bunch in any room they may find themselves in).
These sacrifices are best articulated by the Great Vusi Thembekwayo. An Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, Public Speaker, Economist, and perhaps most importantly a father. He has never sounded more somber than when telling his audience that he almost never gets to see his children because of the career path he has chosen. He does not sound as somber when describing his father's gunning down right before his eyes or when describing his come up struggle but he does fight the tears back when talking about what he loses whilst chasing his dream of a self sufficient Africa.
Watch from 1:00 to skip to the relevant part
ALUA CONTINUA! PHAMBILI! There is no stopping now. The freedom we chase is all good and well...but the bill comes due. Success is a landlord and the rent is due everyday. Keep working hard and best of all, be prepared to leave something behind in order to go forward. And if it is any consolation for how you feel about those not putting in the necessary work and living their lives right now, remember that for want of a horse shoe the war was lost.
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