I think the purpose of such self-sacrifice is to bring to others’ awareness the value of a cause because people do not appreciate something until it has been given a value, and despite what we do with it, often a human life is deemed to be of sufficient value in the first world. For example the pro-democracy movement in Burma focuses on the forced captivity of Aung San Suu Kyi. In 1990 she led the National League for Democracy to victory, winning 82% of the votes, in the national election, and was promptly imprisoned, and has been for the last 15 years. Since then the military regime has recruited up to 70 000 child soldiers, instituted modern-day slavery, and imprisoned over 1400 political activists. Due to her self-sacrifice the cause of her people was brought to 1st world awareness by such things as her winning the Nobel Peace Prize (which she was unable to accept due to her imprisonment), economic sanctions being brought against Burma, and the naming of foreign companies who support this regime through their use of child slave labour. There is nothing proud in what she has done - there is nothing proud in a hunger strike. She has lost so much through her struggle for her people’s justice and freedom - she lost her husband (he’s British & he died of cancer during her imprisonment), and her two adult male sons have not seen her since her imprisonment and she is not allowed contact with the world and obviously her family. She was denied the right to watch her children grow up or to be there when her husband died. In regards to your thoughts on whether silence and unknown sacrifice make a difference - sacrifice is everywhere - people just do not usually notice it. How much would you sacrifice for the ones you love? If it’s a real sacrifice it is something they have not asked for, and something that you will not be thanked for necessarily. But that is the point of personal self-sacrifice - it is done for altruistic reasons alone. Feel free to get pooey at me if you feel I’ve got a bit annoying…feel free to leave rude messages on my LJ :) All opinions are interesting provided you say who you are :)
you're right. and i think that we will find that those who have been made saints and such for their sacrifices did not ask for it - it was us who made them famous for their acts after the fact. i don't think there is anything wrong with that either - we are just celebrating what they achieved, and perhaps showing others not to be afraid of altruism...that everyone can make a difference.
For example the pro-democracy movement in Burma focuses on the forced captivity of Aung San Suu Kyi. In 1990 she led the National League for Democracy to victory, winning 82% of the votes, in the national election, and was promptly imprisoned, and has been for the last 15 years. Since then the military regime has recruited up to 70 000 child soldiers, instituted modern-day slavery, and imprisoned over 1400 political activists. Due to her self-sacrifice the cause of her people was brought to 1st world awareness by such things as her winning the Nobel Peace Prize (which she was unable to accept due to her imprisonment), economic sanctions being brought against Burma, and the naming of foreign companies who support this regime through their use of child slave labour. There is nothing proud in what she has done - there is nothing proud in a hunger strike.
She has lost so much through her struggle for her people’s justice and freedom - she lost her husband (he’s British & he died of cancer during her imprisonment), and her two adult male sons have not seen her since her imprisonment and she is not allowed contact with the world and obviously her family. She was denied the right to watch her children grow up or to be there when her husband died.
In regards to your thoughts on whether silence and unknown sacrifice make a difference - sacrifice is everywhere - people just do not usually notice it. How much would you sacrifice for the ones you love? If it’s a real sacrifice it is something they have not asked for, and something that you will not be thanked for necessarily. But that is the point of personal self-sacrifice - it is done for altruistic reasons alone.
Feel free to get pooey at me if you feel I’ve got a bit annoying…feel free to leave rude messages on my LJ :) All opinions are interesting provided you say who you are :)
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i don't think there is anything wrong with that either - we are just celebrating what they achieved, and perhaps showing others not to be afraid of altruism...that everyone can make a difference.
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