My first reaction was that of 21 guns. Then I thought deeper about it, wondered about its necessity, and stumbled upon one of life's toughest questions. Not the problem of pain mind you, but the problem of love. The problem of self sacrificial love, as mirrored by Christ who freely gave His life, laid it down for the undeserving, for those who spurned him.
Just how far are we willing to go in this sacrificial love, especially when it becomes anything but pleasant. You know how sometimes when you willingly sacrifice for someone else, you do feel good about it. What if the sacrifice demands something so precious to you that it can never feel good. Jesus Christ sacrificed his very life on that cross. That didnt feel good. He prayed 'if it may be possible, let this cup pass from me'. Yet He also prayed, 'yet not my will but Yours be done'. As the ones who mirror Christ, are we too called to this?
And perhaps at least, a dilemma that Jesus didnt face in this situation. He knew fully that it was the will of the Father. He completely understood its necessity. But sometimes in life, we don't know the future, we don't know the implications of our actions, we don't know whether our sacrifices will be 'worth it'. Will it really bring an increase in overall utility (or happiness) to the world? Or will it only cut into ourselves and have it be fallen and wasted.
Would you still do it?
How far will you go to seek the betterment of others at the expense of yourself?
What if you weren't sure if it would all be in vain?
P.S. On a more amusing note, while im talking about 21 guns, everyone is talking about wake me up when september ends heh.
---