Sacrifice

The root words of sacrifice are (sacred/holy) + (to make).    
= to make holy, to make whole.

But what is being made whole, exactly?

Is it what was sacrificed? Maybe it’s the person making the sacrifice who is transformed, perhaps both.

Why is the journey back to wholeness paved with pain and suffering?

Why must the road to reintegration, to becoming whole again, be so fraught with anguish?

It feels, at times, like a rigorous form of training, a way to build tolerance to life’s inevitable pains. It's akin to muscle growth from exercise where pain and effort are not just expected, but required.

Whether we choose to face this head-on or have it thrust upon us, suffering seems to be an inevitable outcome.

The words of Pa Bailey from the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," come to mind:

“All that you can take with you is that which you’ve given away.”

It’s a profound reminder of the essence of sacrifice. Perhaps by consciously letting go of the lesser parts of ourselves, we can find a way to wholeness again.

This journey of growth and self-reflection seems much like the shedding of old skin. To embrace the new, the old must die away. This dying to oneself, with all its associated pain and suffering, could ideally be a willful, even joyous, process.

In conclusion, some parting words from Nvidia Co-Founder and CEO Jensen Huang:

“One of my great advantages
is that I have very low expectations…

People with very high expectations
have very low resilience,
and unfortunately,
resilience matters in success… 

Greatness is not intelligence
greatness comes from character
and character isn't formed out of smart people,
it's formed out of people who’ve suffered.”