Sacrifice

One of my favorite movies of all time is 'The Prestige' which is directed by Christopher Nolan. One of the main themes in this movie is sacrifice, it has opened my mind to think about what sacrifice actually is, how it can be good and how it can be bad.

Everyone sacrifices, whether it's time, talent, opportunity, life, or even people.

Why is sacrifice such a powerful action?

Would you sacrifice your talents and creativity for a chance to shine?

Would you sacrifice your friends to rise to the top?

Would you sacrifice your time to help someone in need?

All of these questions require multiple levels of understanding, yet are all similar.

Sacrifice can be looked at as good or bad.

Good

Right now, as a student, I sacrifice most of my time to Architecture. I could be out exploring the world or have more time to try new and different things; but I chose to take the diligent path to become a Master Architect and to achieve an astute and profound understanding of what Architecture is and how it effects the world. Eventually this sacrifice will catch up to me in the end, because I know in my mind that down the road somewhere, the path I chose for my life will lead to good things.

Bad

Never sacrifice your time and talents for someone who does not truly appreciate what you are doing for them and why you are doing it. In the past I always fought to do the 'right thing' and to try to help everyone; but helping everyone isn't necessarily always the best course of action. There are people who will not appreciate what you do and see it as nothing. It is not worth the time you give and therefore should be saved for something more productive.

The level of sacrifice in 'The Prestige' is way more complex than my personal sacrifices, but explaining that would ruin the movie for people who have not seen it.

Next time you find yourself sacrificing your time for something, think about how it will effect you in the long run, and if actually performing the action will be rewarding to you or tragic. Everyone needs to sacrifice something at some point in their life, There is no avoiding that.

Life isn't perfect and neither are we.