Sacrifice, are all things in life dependent on the sacrifices we make to earn them.

Long ago most people believed that by sacrificing things to the gods, or a God, things could be gained. Some people still believe this, and those that don’t should.

We all have our own gods and make sacrifices to them. If money is your god then you sacrifice time and energy and possibly family and friends in order to get more.  People obsessed with food sacrifice time and money and often their own bodies on the altar of fine cuisine, fitness freaks sacrifice fine foods and sleep to make that effort to get up at five in the morning and go for that run or ride. By sacrificing in this way people get what they desire but in the end are often pulled into being slaves to the object of their worship.

At the moment I am learning a lot about the meaning of the word sacrifice, as with all things there are different levels of commitment, I chose to commit to the vision that I have, I see a world that is broken and I know that we as a race can do better than we are currently doing in looking after our planet and each other! I stepped out trusting in the gifts that I have been given, in the education I have received, in the life skills that my parents and friends have taught me. In the mind that I was born with and the personality that has grown within me in the past 27 years.

I stepped out, of my comfort zone, of my home, my country and my life. I laid it all aside and began to build anew, it has been a long road so far and it has truly been a sacrifice, I have had to make tough decisions along the way and to give up things that I never expected to lose. Since this time 2 years ago, I have moved from Melbourne Australia, 16,000+ km to Belgium, then another 800 km four months later to the French alpes. I have spent 12 months living on a separate continent to my wife, missed the birth of many of my friends first children. Heard of family and friends suffering through illness and loss, but been unable to be there in person for them. I have been alone, completely and utterly alone in a land where I didn’t speak the language for weeks at a time.

But I wouldn’t change a thing!

I have grown and learnt so much in the past year and a half. Things about myself, things about the world, other cultures and universal truths. It doesn’t matter where I go it is possible to find good people, in fact not just good people but excellent people! I have met people in the 2 years from almost every continent on earth, from many different cultures, backgrounds, race and religious orientation and I have forged friendships that will last a lifetime! The more people I meet the more I realise that on many levels we are all the same. 

We all make sacrifices, and we must, for as Theodore Roosevelt said “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

Good things come at a price and the sacrifices required to attain something is often proportional to the value of the reward. As I mentioned in a previous post we are the sum of it all, and every step we make builds us into the person we are. So let me challenge you to think about the sacrifices that you are making in your life, are the objects or goals you are trying to obtain worthy of the price you are paying?

As we move forward, many people seem to believe that humanity is moving away from the need to worship a deity, I think that mostly people still worship but they put their faith in science, money, sports people and musicians. They trust in these things, take joy and support from them. It is still relying on something outside ourselves but more and more it seems to shift away from the supernatural and into the human world. As a scientist with a belief in God, I stand in an interesting position. Some people would say that my view point is contradictory to itself, a paradox that should not be accepted. I disagree but that is not the point in the end, the point is that we should accept the views of those around us and though we may disagree with them we should not try to force anyone to change their view just to join ours. We should encourage every one to question everything, ourselves included. For blind faith is not a thing to be treasured but is a thing of fools, for people blindly following without questioning is where the world falls apart.

I see a world that is broken, but I know that there are good people in it and if we can put aside our differences and work together I think that the future could be a bright place! I am very grateful for the experience that I have had in the past 2 years. I look forward to the things I will learn in the coming months and years, but more importantly I look forward to the people I will meet and the friendships that will grow. I know that the choices I make lead me down the path I walk and I believe that the sacrifices I make are worth the price I pay.

Thanks to those that know me for the contributions you have made along the way, to the man that I am and the man that I may become, I hope that in some ways I can return the favour and plant in you some seeds that may help to make the world a better place.

Cheers,
Daniel