Sacrifice

[LV426]

Sitting and pondering the "How do you want to die?" thread I noticed that there were some interesting answers. So I began to ponder a bit more and wondered just how much people are capable of sacrificing. There are tales in the news and media of people who give up their lives for their loved ones but how many of you would do it, and for whom? Would you give your life for another person even if you didn't know them? Or would you only sacrifice your life for someone you love and if so who would that person be?

What circumstances would push you so far that you would willingly relinquish your hold on this life and choose death so that another may live?

[GhostBat]

I would not be able to give my life to someone I didn't know, or even a loved one for that matter. Sure it sounds selfish, but I have an instinct to live, and refuse to fight it.

[chriz]

I agree with GB, however, I'm pretty sure I'd be willing to sacrifice myself for my own child. Not having one, though, I can't say for sure.

However, many people say sacrifice when what they're really talking about is recognizing the value of something. I frequently "sacrifice" my time for other people. There have been situations where I want to do something but a friend needs me to help him right at that moment, and I'll give up doing what I want in order to help him. Is that a sacrifice? Not in my definition, because I value my friendship with that person more than the ability to do whatever it is I wanted to do (and it's not like his request for help is constantly interrupting me), so all I'm doing is recognizing the value of that friendship. If I didn't really care about that person, I'd resist helping him.

In a sense, no one truly sacrifices anything, assuming they're free to act on their own and aren't enslaved or anything. You do it because it makes sense to do at the time, even if that revelation is surprising to you at that instant.

[perpetual sorrow]

I'd sacrifice myself for my mom,sister and nephew,they are all to me. I wouldn't hesitate giving my life for them. And for other person I'm not so sure, depends on the situation.

[Blazer]

It would depend on the situation. If someone was about to get run over then it would depend a lot on my instincts as to whether I dive out to get them out of the way or not. In that situation you wouldn't have time to rationalise a decision. As I've never been in that situation I don't know how I'd act.

If it was a calculated decision where I had time to think then I would definitely do anything to help people close to me.
A few years back I had the chance to help a friend but, through bad judgement, missed that chance. Although this was not life-and-death it was still serious. As a consequence I was racked by guilt for years afterwards. I'd rather sacrifice myself than go through that again.

If it was not someone I was close to, and I had time to think, then it would depend on the age and characteristics of the person I was sacrificing myself to save. For example, I would be more likely to sacrifice myself for a young child than for a 90 year old pensioner. But that's just me being cold & calculating. :o

[Wolf-Bone]

This is a very ambiguous and somewhat arbitrary question, but I'm going to attempt to answer with the least amount of bullshit possible:

At this point in my life I think if I ever did sacrifice myself for someone else(and by "myself" I mean my life, or the quality of my life i.e; paralysis or amputation or some other serious disablement) it would be inadvertently. It would have to be one of those situations where the possibility that you could be harmed never crosses your mind. In other words, since any rational person knows there is virtually no action that doesn't pose a personal risk of some kind, to some degree, it would have to be for someone who matters so much to me that my mind would block out the thought of danger to myself.

Or I suppose there's the off chance that I'm not a spineless coward, and I'd be fully aware of a danger to myself, but would care so much about the person that I'd risk it anyway.

Courage and fearlessness aren't the same thing.

Come to think of it, that did happen to me once, several years ago. I think I was about 17. My mother, who to be real, hasn't had a day of truly good health since we moved to this human wasteland at the close of the 80's, had been falling apart at the seams that year. It was nearly 32 degrees C. that day, and out of nowhere she began shiverring uncontrollably and looked like the walking dead. Being a born and raised Newf of course, she at first refused to even call a doctor, so I had to physically force her into the car and drive her to the hospital.

Now at the time, I only had my beginner's, and wasn't a very skilled or confident driver at all. And all the while on the way to the hospital I kept thinking to myself "I wouldn't be one fucking bit surprised if this is how I ended up getting killed". It's not like I was a reckless, panicking idiot on the road by any means. But I probably shouldn't have had by beginner's back then and I knew it. But it was a calculated risk.

Now if to get her to a hospital somehow involved fighting my way through a slew of monsters, armed with only a whip and some holy water to find 5 of Dracula's remains so I could ressurrect him and kill him again, I don't know if I'd be up to the task. But that's the problem with questions like this. All I can tell you is that in theory, I don't know if the answer would always be yes, but in practice, it once was.

However, that was someone I basically owe my life to. Ok, you could argue I don't, I suppose, but it's an internal instinct that overrides all that philosophical bullshit when the chips are down. That's family, 'nuff said.

Note "family" instead of "loved ones". I've got plenty of people who I got "love" for who've proven to me time and time again that they're not worth sticking my neck out for. You know the kind I'm talking about. They're worth "sacrificing" a dollar to them once in a while, but if some people were out to kill them, you'd let those guys sacrifice some chump-shit that you know wouldn't find the balls to intervene if it was you.

[Hellcat]

In response to this question I intially concluded that self preservation was of prior importance, but after deeper thought I'd like to believe that should a situation arise, I'd be able to sacrifice my own life for that of my kids. Everyone else can go screw.

[Faerie_flame]

I don't think anyone can say for sure unless they have ever been in that situation, but I would definately give my life for any member of my family, or any of my closest friends. Possibly a child as well.

[Lycan_bites]

Obviously I wouldn't really know, but I'd like to say I would. Definatly for my closest friends and my boyfriend, but about my family, I'm not so sure. I know that sounds really harsh but we've never really been all that close. I might do, who knows? :confused:

[Klark]

I don't want anyone thinking that I'm just keeping up with the Superman theme, but I would give my life to let another person live.

It's not that I want to give up my life, or that I'm looking for the opportunity to be someone's saviour. I just know me. I know that if I saw a little kid in the street with a ball about to be smeared by a vehicle, I'd run and push them out of the way, even if I knew I was going to be hit by the car. I would step in front of a gun if someone had one pointed at a person near me. I would give whatever was necessary to ensure that the other person lived.

Like I said, it's not that I want to give up my life, but I actually love people so much that I couldn't stand idly by and watch as disaster struck. I'd do my utmost best to prevent it and my utmost best to ensure that I came out of the situation unharmed too. But if I am harmed or killed, then it was simply my time.

[ShortFatRunner]

[QUOTE=Klark] Like I said, it's not that I want to give up my life, but I actually love people so much that I couldn't stand idly by and watch as disaster struck [QUOTE]

I agree with you completly Klark, i too love people too much to just sit there and watch. I know for a fact that i would give up my life for a good friend or family member, i also know that i would most certantly do it for anyone who is in danger.

Now there are always exceptions, like if i know that somone is a drug dealer or something, and does nothing to help others only harm, then i probably would not, but again all depends on situation.

[Klark]

I agree with you completly Klark, i too love people too much to just sit there and watch. I know for a fact that i would give up my life for a good friend or family member, i also know that i would most certantly do it for anyone who is in danger.

Now there are always exceptions, like if i know that somone is a drug dealer or something, and does nothing to help others only harm, then i probably would not, but again all depends on situation.

First, everything in your Quote of me is right except the last [QUOTE]. It should be set up to look like [ /QUOTE], minus the space inbetween [ and /.

Second, it doesn't matter to me who they are or what they are. I believe that there is good in everyone. Perhaps if you save them, even giving your life to save them, you can truly save them. Perhaps by seeing your deed, it will effect them so much that they actually change their life around and in turn end up helping many more people along the way. In that way, your having saving that person created a huge ripple effect throughout many others lifes. Then again, he could go on selling drugs after laughing at your dead ass. But it wouldn't matter anyway. I simply could not stand idly by and watch something bad happen. If there was a way that I could change it, even by giving up my life, I'd do it.

[Slayer Werewolf]

Like most people, it would be difficult to give my life for someone i completly don't know. Depending upon the curcimstances, i would sacrifice my life for most people i know and care for, even complete strangers. Of course im not sayin that is everyone. There are a few people out there that i have had thoughts of inflicting bodily harm to them(not saying i would, just thoughts). Now, reflecting on Chriz's view, it isn't that hard for someone to, as he says, "sacrifice" small things. Because he is right, if you do truly care for someone, time, money, etc. isn't that hard to give to them. so this question is sort of open-ended depending upon your point of view.

[Louve]

Not to sound...self-praising, actually quite the opposite, I would not only give my life but my soul if I were in love with someone. Only that would cause my untimely demise.

[XWOLFX]

Would i sacrafice myself?

I would want to for my mother or father, but they said downright to me that if it ever became between them or me they would be the ones to go. If they had no say and it was me, i don't know if i could bring myself to do it for their sake because i couldn't imagine how they would live knowing i am dead and sacrificed myself for THEM.

I honor what my parents want, they would rather die than me.

But for all of us, lets hope this time never comes and the decision would have to be made.

[RQ]

While I'd like to think I would gladly give my life for another, I can't honestly say I would. Fact is, I enjoy living and am relatively certain that beyond this, there is nothing, so given the choice to be or not to be, I will.

I've never been in a situation like that though. I would say that I could see myself giving my life for my own child, but I don't plan on having any. The only person I could see forfeiting my life for is the husband I intend to take.

[Sin of Humanity]

I can't say I'd sacrafice myself for a complete stranger. Obviosly I see the dark side of humanity for the most part. The evil in people. Don't get me wrong for the people I had seen the good in I would without hesitation, but strangers who look nice could be beating they're child at home.

Even children I don't think I'd sacrafice myself for. They have potential to be the next Doctors, the cure for cancer, and world peace. But also to be the next criminals, and bring about another set of school shootings.

Also I have to say that not saving a Drug Lord as opposed to everyone else is wrong. What if that man/woman has kids at home and a wife.

So I guess its all in the eye of the beholder. Though in the end I'd trade my own, for the life of another.

[Vendetta]

While I'd like to think I would gladly give my life for another, I can't honestly say I would. Fact is, I enjoy living and am relatively certain that beyond this, there is nothing, so given the choice to be or not to be, I will.
...suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune? :)

Personally, I'm not about to sacrifice anything for anyone (not unless I know there's a good return on my investment,) and certainly not my life. Maybe it's selfish, but we were given a sense of self-preservation for a reason.

And far as Klark's comments go, well in my experience most of the humanity I've met isn't, for the most part, worth saving. I'm not going to save some random person I don't know, for all I know they could be serial killer or end up becoming the next mass murderer and killing far more people than my saving of one life would justify. 1 life < Many (or my own.)

[Necro Mortis]

I think I would give my life for somone else, a loved one yes, a stranger, maybe.

[Klark]

As far as my comments go, I'm just saying that I couldn't watch someone else die (be they good or bad) and then live with myself knowing I did absolutely nothing to try to stop it or prevent it.

[Sin of Humanity]

I could. Generally I don't like what I see in people. Not to say it wouldn't bother me, and I couldn't sit by and watch just cold blooded killings, but if someone were to say be hit by a car then hopefully they had a good last day.

[Klark]

I could. Generally I don't like what I see in people. Not to say it wouldn't bother me, and I couldn't sit by and watch just cold blooded killings, but if someone were to say be hit by a car then hopefully they had a good last day.

Maybe it's not so much what you see in other people so much as what you see in yourself. We project alot of ourselves on other people until we get to know them. We can only base our judgements on what we know, and we all give people an initial judgement. That's why the first impression is always the most important. ;)

[Lore]

i don't think i could sacrifice myself for another person. It's not that i'm afraid of death, far from it, its just i would find it hard. i have a bad view of people and humanity as a whole. i wouldn't be able to watch someone getting killed, i would try to help them but sacrificing myself isn't helping anyone.

[everlost]

death is the only thing absolutely certain in human existence.
it is also the only basic concept in humanity we truly know nothing about (except that it happens). for me, there are three fascinating occurances in life: time, death, and snakes. therefore, in this reality, it's the only thing i'm willingly anticipating. i'd die for anybody. not for the person, but for the adventure.