Sacrifice and Dedication
Two news stories today highlight the heavy cost of dedicating our lives to the cause(s) of our choice. However, along with that, I also see the reminder that while the cost may seem disproportionately high relative to the apparent resulting effect, the effort shouldn’t be considered in vain. The effort should still be considered admirable. Maybe the relevant quote to keep in mind here is: “God’s delays are not God’s denials”.
I can’t even find one cause that captures my attention so much so that I can even come close to choosing to dedicate every ounce of my soul to fight for it (though, I hope to find one some day.) So, regardless of the controversy over the methods these two individuals chose to use, in my opinion these two souls can only be admired for their intent and their selfless dedication.
One is Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who just got out of jail after serving eight years for an assisted suicide death that he was responsible for. His intention, to ease the suffering of terminally ill patients, no matter what your religious belief, is truly a noble intent. Unfortunately, the inherent flaws in his methods and the philosophies of Catholic leaders, were no friend to his intents. His commitment has at least kept the issue alive thus leading to discussions for alternate solutions.
And, we have Cindy Sheehan who today threw in the towel in her anti-war protests inspired by her son’s death as a soldier in Iraq. Politics are so complicated. She did a lot to keep the memory of her son alive and to fight to end the fruitless war responsible for his death. In my opinion, her son, and all soldiers have not “died for nothing”. The fiasco of this war, and its many casualties on all sides, will live on for generations. It can only highlight the need to have more responsible decision making at the earliest stages possible to prevent these kind of things from happening and growing into such impossible-to-end quagmires.
Jack and Cindy’s sacrifices (though totally different from each other) may seem to have been in vain, but their dedication and sacrifices to their causes will keep them alive in history for others to be inspired by, and maybe lead to new and better solutions in the future.
