The notion of sacrifice is familiar to practically any human being ever alive on this planet. Whether it is a material thing, or one’s desire to pursue a dream, everyone at some point in his or her existence had to put something at stake for the sake of a greater alternative. People often tend to distinguish between giving up something for a material thing and so-called “unconditional sacrifice.” A vivid example of such sacrifice is the fact of how parents selflessly give up everything they once loved and desired to make their children happy. However, if to ponder on the subject for a little longer, is there still such thing as the unconditional love that drives people to sacrifice? Do parents sacrifice money, personal life, and their dreams for the sake of pure love, or do they, in such a way, beg for mutual love from their children?
These are the questions that rarely torture our thoughts, as people believe they can define a line between good and evil. Still, however implicit some evil intentions maybe, things like human sacrifice have nothing in between. People perceive it as either black or white, reasoning each of these choices. Religion, by worshiping human sacrifice, makes people believe that self-immolation is a true blessing that gives them a chance to make the place they live in a better one for others. When it comes to surrendering, it is common to picture Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself for the sake of his people. However, no one ever questioned whether such an act was worth the consequences. I, in my turn, want you to ask yourself whether the life of one human is as important as having a good harvest for a season. What if the real meaningfulness of one’s creation is going to be of greater importance than a good but yet finite crop?
Let me dwell upon history to reflect upon this existential issue. For centuries, people wanted to measure the price of one’s life, creating cognitive dissonance, as people do not often pay a certain price to appear on the world stage. When people let their fellow neighbors pass away, their perception of human death depends on various factors. The close ones are always people who deserve to live. Their death makes others feel miserable, even if it was necessary to save hundreds of innocent souls. However, once the hero is of no significance to others, his or her sacrifice obtains a completely new perspective. Bearing this dilemma in mind, we can now trace it back to Jesus’s sacrifice for the sake of human sin. Is there any doubt that such an act was pointless?
If to omit the existential discussion of whether God’s sons are worth this sacrifice, no religious person will admit this gesture could be avoided. This is a classic example of Utilitarian sacrifice when the life of one person may be worth millions of others (Hanninkainen and Cushman). The main point, however, lies in the fact that the death of one soul seems rational and insignificant in comparison to what is put at stake. Any other option is nothing but a cruel murder. Considering the basic values of morality and human ethics, I ask you to consider two similar scenarios of human sacrifice.
You are a common town resident who is forced to workday and night in the fields in order to feed your beloved family. One day, you are told that all the season harvest will be destroyed by the natural forces unless you sacrifice someone for the sake of welfare. The girl named Tessie Hutchinson is barely familiar to your family, and the first time you saw her was the time she was chosen to be sacrificed. You may disagree with the decision to kill an innocent person but think of what your family would do if you left them with nothing to eat for almost a year. Would you be against this human sacrifice, or would you deeply sympathize with this girl and her family while gathering crops in the field?
While the first scenario makes a choice quite predictable, another option is more sophisticated. Let us imagine that Tessie is your only daughter, your beloved sister, or the best friend you ever had in your life. Would you make this decision as quickly as you did before? The situation, however, is almost the same, as this harvest will still be your only chance to keep your family alive. The only thing different is your duty to let your loved one die for the sake of others. Does it still seem that this gesture would be worth the outcome? Would you be afraid that people would forget what you have gone through after the harvest was over? Unless both situations result in a decision that sacrifice is the only possible chance, it is beyond any moral obligation to let this happen. Hence, before making a decision, I would like you to ponder what price of human life is acceptable for you and your dignity.
Work Cited
Hannikainen, Ivar R., and Fiery A. Cushman. “Is Utilitarian Sacrifice Becoming More Morally Permissible?” Cognition, vol. 170, 2018, pp. 95-101.