Self-sacrifice and self-sacrifice in the name of love - relationships and love

Self-sacrifice

In the previous article we looked at, now we will talk about the other side - self-sacrifice in the name of love.

In the name of love, the greatest feats and the most terrible crimes are committed. Since childhood, we have been accustomed to justice, kindness and good qualities worthy of a real person. It is not surprising how, with such a large and psychological store of knowledge, people easily sacrifice themselves in the name of good intentions and pure love. Self-sacrifice in the name of love and sublime feelings reveals all the versatility of a person’s spirituality and selfless devotion. It decorates and ennobles, carries a bright spark of love and pure thoughts, behind which stand high moral principles, surrounding with a subtle energetic and moral connection woven into a single thread of love. This is the subtlest spiritual connection that reveals the depth of feelings, emotions, giving strength and life. It contains the deepest psychological basis that brings each other together.

Great poets and writers praised such vulnerable and sacrificial torments, because they were committed in the name of good intentions. Finding examples of self-sacrifice in the name of love in literature is quite easy.

17 comments on ““Self-sacrifice and self-sacrifice in the name of love - relationships and love””

Fools who do not have their own self sacrifice themselves. Who in their right mind and sober memory would cripple themselves for the sake of love and spend all their vitality to please a loved one or loved one? Yes, perhaps we do not have the right to judge others for reckless attitudes and the absurdity of actions, only recklessness plays against a person and society as a whole. It is unacceptable to completely abandon the implementation of life plans and bury your potential under the ashes of indifference. You need to protect yourself and create favorable conditions. Love consists of partnering with each other, creating warm and close spiritual relationships, reciprocity, empathy and help. You won’t be able to experience all the beauty of a romantic relationship with compressed love and constant dedication. You will be crushed faster and ground into powder. Selfishness does not add beauty to feelings and “kills” everything beautiful that can exist between loved ones. And in self-sacrifice, selfishness plays one of the leading roles, take my word for it...

Sacrificing everything in the name of love is stupid, but love can cloud the mind and logical thinking, but is there any meaning in such love and life in general? Love is a cruel and evil feeling, especially if it is not shared, and low self-esteem or subconscious fears contribute to this process, turning life into an absurd comedy, full of disappointment and mental loss.

Beautifully written - the reasons for self-sacrifice can be different and this is true. After reading the article I realized a lot of new things. Fear of loss, pity, low self-esteem can certainly be the main criterion for self-sacrifice, but there is always conscious and logical thinking. Sacrificing yourself in a relationship for the sake of love is noble, but there is a limit to everything. The current President of France, Macron, married a woman 24 years older than himself, but is this normal love? A young, handsome, successful guy lives with a real grandmother and what is the real reason for what is happening? Based on how he went to please the Americans and spoil Russia, he has a clear diagnosis of low self-esteem and against the background of this, stronger individuals, including his wife, “crushed” him morally, making him unhappy, while psychologically aggravating his sick subconscious. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m interested in the opinions of other readers of the article, what do you say about this?

The President of France definitely needs a psychologist; being young, successful, rich and living with a real grandmother is the limit of European tolerance. The fact that he has low self-esteem can be seen from his face and his narrow-minded decisions. And, judging by his current problems and actions, he’s not much of a politician. A psychologically healthy person will not deliberately ruin his life, which means he has reasons for this, maybe fear, maybe fear, violence, but we know the result - grandmother and son live together, ruling the whole state. In general, unhealthy love leads to great ruin, period.

They sacrifice in the name of good intentions and pure love. This has been written about in many fairy tales of the world and folklore. different countries. From childhood, we are taught to justice, kindness and good qualities worthy of a real person. And self-sacrifice for the sake of love and sublime feelings shows selfless devotion and sincere attraction, capable of inspiring the most desperate deeds. We have no right to judge such behavior. Everyone has their own reasons for sacrificing themselves and trying to maintain a subtle mental/physical connection, for the sake of sincere love and sincere relationships. Everything is done with good thoughts and good intentions. This is worthy of praise and respect.

A deep feeling of love that moves people to exploits and thoughtless actions plays the role of a catalyst and challenges rational behavior. This is the beauty of love and its weak point. The line between love and self-sacrifice is very blurred, which is why some devote their lives to their loved ones free of charge and give kindness, warmth, dedication and sincere love. They make great efforts for the common good and help everyone in need. They want to feel their necessity, usefulness and value by tearing off a piece of themselves. And others sacrifice themselves for certain goals and want to feel reciprocity in feelings on an emotional and moral level, creating “ideal” conditions for their existence and future. There is always a motive that encourages further developments and specific behavior in a given situation. Self-sacrifice places on the altar the best for loved ones. Selfishness eats up everything beautiful...

Sincere self-sacrifice adorns a person and ennobles the spirit. It carries a bright spark of love and thoughts behind which lie the foundations of virgin spirituality. A real miracle and tragedy of relationships. On the one hand, it decorates and gives hope, on the other hand, it breaks at the root, turning love into a dry and annoying feeling. It is difficult to disagree with the interpretation of honest self-sacrifice for the sake of love; it is in it that pure love and high moral principles surrounding a subtle energetic and moral connection are woven into a single thread. They carry living impressions, emotions, give strength and life. It contains a deep spiritual and psychological basis that brings each other closer to one single whole. It makes no sense to say the opposite when in the world there are hundreds of thousands of examples and beautiful couples living in unison, and giving strength, time, feelings for the benefit of their beloved family

The article says a smart idea. They sacrifice themselves, even for the sake of noble love, out of fear of loneliness or complexes. Simply out of a strong desire and command of the soul, they will not pull themselves by the ears and shamelessly mock themselves for the sake of a loved one. The instinct of self-preservation and self-respect works no worse than selfishness. It's all about fears and uncertainty. They cast doubts and belittle inner strengths and confidence. In order to stay afloat and feel more or less advantageous in society and psychologically, people stop thinking about themselves and begin to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others. Let them not be offended by me, but sacrifices in the name of love are clean water altruism mixed with disorders and mental problems. Of course, you need to consider and analyze specific situations with people. Perhaps complexes are not the main cause of troubles and everything lies in the education system, and appropriate behavior is its direct vector. On the common front, fears are to blame

Sacrificing yourself for the sake of a feeling of imaginary happiness and security is a complete mockery of yourself and your own life. To rush into an embrasure considering your actions justified and correct is very stupid, it’s a pity that few can understand this or understand it too late. “Nikita” correctly clarified: there is always consciousness and logical thinking, which should be above any problems. And one-sided love with self-sacrifice is a pathetic parody of real feelings

Sacrifice does not lead to good! Giving strength, soul and emotions to a loved one while being left alone with your feelings is the same as being completely alone, living among people. Self-sacrifice must be reasonable and have a purpose: to help lovers expand the boundaries of the spiritual and physical world, bring help, faith, hope and transform love into the brightest feeling. Now self-sacrifice is far from everything spiritual and to a greater extent shows selfishness or strong energy one of the partners who takes advantage of the kindness, tenderness, complacency, responsiveness and good intentions of the person in love with him. In selfish love, passion, tenderness and spirituality fade into the background and are overshadowed by selfishness and benefits, which is why sacrifice takes on a terrifying appearance. Her role turns out to be vicious, evil and cruel, fading against the background of dirty and vile feelings. This is what the article warns about

True self-sacrifice comes from pure heart and not acceptable to selfishness and benefits. If we do not deviate from the essence, then self-sacrifice from psychological beliefs is closely intertwined with the subconscious: selfishness, fears, self-doubt and cannot be compared with pure spiritual thoughts and feelings. In purely philosophical terms, the selfishness of the altar, which gives all its strength, time and complete dedication to the adored person, poisons love and deceives lovers, feeding them with deceptive feelings and doubts. A complete refusal to realize the life potential of one partner for the sake of another confirms the impossibility of balancing the purity of spiritual feelings with selfishness on the same scale. Egoism contradictorily hides everything beautiful behind it.
Still, it is fair to note that thoughts about the wrongness of the relationship and sacrificial love do not stop lovers. All partners take advantage of each other and calmly turn a blind eye to reckless dedication

Those who donate are truly devoted and beloved people who spend their strength, health and everything free time to help loved ones, relatives, friends. It is they who perform real feats and live by the laws of altruism without sparing themselves, refuse a full life, endure humiliation, bad attitude, and selfishness of loved ones. They need to erect a monument during their lifetime and give them a good hassle in order to change the victim’s thinking to the behavior of an intelligent person who can stand up for himself and protect his interests. Refusing a normal life to please the whims of others is stupid ignorance that devalues ​​the role of a person, his destiny and takes away the most important thing - psychological and physical health. You cannot allow yourself to be treated in an uncultured manner and allow others to do mean things. It ends badly and ruins good people by putting their mental state in the most negative light

The most obvious reason for unreasonable behavior that casts a shadow on the victims is low self-esteem and complete lack of self-confidence, leading life into the abyss. The most serious consequences and terrible events happen to people who sacrifice themselves for others and give literally everything - love, strength, health and time. Life in constant giving of everything good and positive for the benefit of loved ones is very noble, but it carries many negative factors. Reasonable people should understand that gratuitous altruism and the constant waste of one’s vitality does not improve health, but it turns loved ones and relatives into greedy, nasty and unnatural individuals, accustomed to crappy selfish behavior. Let's be honest: selfish people raised with a good attitude will not sacrifice themselves and will not think about the problems of their neighbor. They are indifferent to self-sacrifice, love and the unnatural absurdity of relationships

Altars are stupid, they suffer from attachment to a person, spend their last strength in favor of a false sense of freedom, love and want to prove their need for their loved ones. Logically, this is the most stupid and idiotic relationship in the world leading to a dark future. True love and respect cannot be based on the devotion of one of the parties and the mocking attitude of the other or a complete disregard for feelings. To love, endure and later lose faith in people when you realize that they are using you and sucking out all your juices is a stinking practice that degrades your dignity. Sacrifice gives love bitterness and many misfortunes, provoking broken destinies. One-sided love has never brought happiness and real spiritual feelings. Temporary consolation and clouded consciousness, yes, are not suitable for greater self-sacrifice. All the advantages of pleasant feelings are hidden behind the veil of nasty and deceitful relationships.

You won't be nice by force. Using a good relationship and constant care from a person who loves you and is very attached to you for your personal benefit sounds twofold. I look at the situation from the position of an honest person who has the courage to break off bad relationships and behave more or less adequately. Everything seems easy and simple, the selfish side of human nature says take advantage and don’t worry about the consequences, keep relationships under control and create ideal conditions for your loved one. The honest side shouts: don’t make sudden conclusions and don’t take advantage of someone else’s weakness. Sacrificing oneself in order to feel significance and strength is the logic of a weak individual who does not see the world from an adequate perspective. The theme of self-sacrifice is ambiguous; people who enjoy all the benefits of “comfortable relationships” quickly get used to the role of arrogant, narcissistic scum and spoil their nature by turning into moral monsters. The worst thing is that they have no idea about the changes and do not see the changes

True self-sacrifice begins with soul, love and the emotional extension of all of the above. This is a healthy and conscious action, and happy is the one who can sacrifice and, most importantly, has someone to do crazy things for. I am deeply convinced that if there were a little bit of real sincere and pure love, kindness and mutual spirituality between partners in the world, planet Earth would become a paradise. Love is too multifaceted and its sensual nature is interfaced with the physical and psychological world, which create sublime harmony, miraculous energy, help to survive in the most difficult and deadly moments, and most importantly give rise to truly unimaginable feelings, leading our lives to flourishing, continuation and logical meaning . Without love and self-sacrifice, we will not discover the true purpose of the human soul, we will not be able to understand that beautiful and deeply spiritual love that the great romantic poets wrote about in classical literature. Only after experiencing all of the above can you feel the real sweetness, bitterness and heat of a love relationship. And if two great people find each other after living their lives in the “chastity” I described, they will give birth to real geniuses. I'm 101 percent sure

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The personal quality of self-sacrifice is the ability to devote one’s life to higher goals, to give oneself to a person or something sublime.

What is self-sacrifice

Self-sacrifice is the voluntary sacrifice of oneself or one's own interests for the sake of others. It can be conscious (EMERCOM workers, military personnel in battle) and unconscious (helping people in extreme situations).

sacrificial, sincere desire to protect others, own land, house. Such an intention is the result of a feeling, its ideals and upbringing. The individual is unable to act differently. Such individuals rush to help without hesitation, this is a spiritual impulse;
performance of one's own. It's worth giving an example here. There are people who strive to get to “hot spots” to save people’s lives there. But why do they need this? You might think that this is a desire to protect the Motherland. But in reality, they strive to receive medals and awards for courage in order to make their loved ones proud of them.

In turn, sacrifice in the understanding of religion is a virtue, which is expressed in a sincere desire to devote oneself to others.

The desire for self-sacrifice

Humans have a built-in desire for self-sacrifice. This is not a simple sacrifice of some material benefits. This is sacrificing one’s own chosen path, one’s own energy, strength, and time. That is, everything that a person has. The highest manifestation of self-sacrifice is giving oneself to self-awareness, developing the mind, achieving purity of consciousness, as well as helping others achieve spirituality. As personal quality self-sacrifice is a manifestation of dignity along with patriotism, selflessness, and kindness.

Self-sacrifice has a feminine nature. The first example of this is unconditional maternal love. The mother becomes the child's well-being above all else. Love as voluntary slavery involves sacrificing oneself, but self-sacrifice does not mean giving one’s life in the name of love. It is an absolute desire to serve the person you love.

The problem of self-sacrifice

It is believed that the willingness to sacrifice oneself uses love as a basis. Powerful feelings force people to perform feats: some devote themselves unselfishly to their significant other, others devote themselves to their favorite work. But experts are confident that such a theory is wrong.

The problem of self-sacrifice is the unattractiveness of the reasons that give rise to this desire. In life, the desire to sacrifice oneself gives rise to other feelings: fear and doubt. The latter cause a loss of feeling of strength and confidence. Such people are sure that their personality means nothing, they are not ready to commit actions, and therefore live with the problems and achievements of another person. In addition, they are confident in personal failures, therefore they believe that leniency is not available to them. The result of such an opinion is self-sacrifice. In this way, people try to gain favor and recognition.

For this reason, often the meaning of self-sacrifice is not a sincere desire to neglect one’s interests, but simple manipulation of people to achieve an internal goal. Fear, in the form of the main motive for sacrifice, appears because of.

There are many examples from life: children who escaped from the stifling care of their mother forget about her; wives who have refused to realize themselves for the sake of their family find themselves lonely or suffer disrespect from their husbands. You can often hear complaints from such individuals that they did everything for the sake of others, but in the end they got nothing. But they were not asked to make such sacrifices; their actions were their own choice.

Conscious self-sacrifice is a person’s understanding of the sacrifice, its essence, purpose and value. A soldier, when he protects others or goes against the enemy, realizes that this will cause his death, but his actions will save others. It is this self-sacrifice that is called heroism.

The sacrifice is not too dangerous if it relates to one family or group, because... its harmful influence is not very global. But if it concerns the interests of an entire country or society, then the result will be disastrous. Often the basis for the actions of suicidal terrorists is the problem of self-sacrifice. Their arguments are based on love for the Motherland and religion.

Why self-sacrifice is dangerous

The first thing that comes to mind when pronouncing the word “self-sacrifice” is something sublime. This is a denial of oneself for the sake of higher goals, a sacrifice of one’s own interests in the name of something more valuable. But Leo Tolstoy said that the most offensive expression of egoism is self-sacrifice. Why is it dangerous? What did Tolstoy mean?

Self-sacrifice is inherent in the Slavic people; we are not individualists. In addition, we are encouraged to sacrifice ourselves. But it happens that self-sacrifice is a style of existence; it takes on unusual forms.

It is believed that sacrificing oneself in the name of a loved one is an indicator of good form. They give us the example of the Decembrist wives, but parents are left with no choice at all - they are obliged to do everything for the sake of their children, subordinating themselves to their desires. Yes, love is not selfishness, but why would anyone suffer? Are sacrifices really necessary?

As already mentioned, the basis of self-sacrifice is not always love. Often its basis and. A person is sure that he is not worthy of recognition and love, so he wins them. Self-sacrifice becomes an element of manipulation. A person considers himself not to be good enough for his significant other to stay next to him just like that, so a remarkable effort is required. And the fear here is that the person for whom the sacrifice is being made will leave.

But this is not the only negative thing; the further a person goes in an effort to give himself away, the more terrible the story ends. There are many examples around of how people do not appreciate such sacrifices. But you cannot call them traitors. If another person voluntarily refused something, then sooner or later he will hear the question of why he did it, who asked him.

For these reasons, self-sacrifice is considered selfish. A person behaves in the way he considers correct, without taking into account other people’s opinions about it. But he also demands gratitude for his actions. Not receiving this, he feels offended. As a result, hatred arises towards the one for whom the sacrifice was made, for whom it turned out to be unnecessary. A person needs to have the right to choose whether he needs this sacrifice or not, to refuse it or accept it.

But what about altruism, self-denial? Self-sacrifice, of course, has the right to exist. After all, everyone decides what to do and how to behave. The main thing is not to expect recognition for your own actions, then you will not commit actions aimed at satisfying internal needs at the expense of others.

What explains self-sacrifice

Psychology experts note that not every person is capable of self-sacrifice. What explains the phenomenon of self-sacrifice? Researchers are confident that this quality is transmitted at the genetic level. In other words, such a desire to devote oneself to others is laid down by genetics.

In addition, education contributes to the development of this personal quality. The child, seeing the actions of the parents, considers them correct.

But often a lack of love at an early age becomes the reason that pushes one to sacrifice oneself. People who were “disliked” in childhood are able to sacrifice their interests for the sake of recognition and the pride of their parents.

So self-sacrifice is explained by the desire to receive praise, to prove something to society, to gain recognition, celebrity. In addition, spiritual impulses to save another person, a natural desire to protect the weak, selfless impulses to help others also cause the desire to sacrifice oneself.

Self-sacrifice as a personal quality is the ability to devote one’s entire life to some higher spiritual goal, to give oneself to someone or something higher.

The tomb of Mohammed in Medina had to be put in order: it became necessary. However, the masons who came here to carry out repairs were told that anyone who dared to go down into the burial crypt would have his head cut off as soon as he came out. Still, one person was found willing and went down into the terrible dungeon. He repaired the crypt, stood up and gave his head to be cut off. Silently he bowed his head, and just as silently they cut it off.

Man has a built-in desire for self-sacrifice. It's not just about sacrificing a portion of your income or material goods. Self-sacrifice is sacrificing yourself, your life energy, knowledge, time, and everything you have on the altar of your chosen path. The highest form of self-sacrifice is to give all of yourself to self-awareness, development of the mind, achieve purity of consciousness and help other people reach the heights of human spirituality.

Self-sacrifice as a personality quality becomes manifested in a combination of virtues - unselfishness, patriotism, generosity, kindness, in a word, a whole series of positive personality qualities. A soldier sacrifices his life defending his homeland, his family. He cannot do otherwise. Conscience and self-sacrifice are inseparable. Conscience calls a soldier to heroism. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “Heroism is the mood of a person striving for a goal beyond which he no longer counts at all. Heroism is the good will to absolute self-destruction.”

Self-sacrifice has a feminine nature. His very first example is the unconditional love of a mother for her child, when she puts his well-being first. Love as voluntary slavery presupposes sacrifice, but self-sacrifice does not mean shooting yourself, hanging yourself, or poisoning yourself for the sake of love. Why such extremes? They have nothing to do with self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice is the selfless desire to serve the object of love. The quintessence of self-sacrifice is love and self-giving.

At I.S. Turgenev has a wonderful parable “The Threshold”. I see a huge building. In the front wall a narrow door is wide open; outside the door there is a gloomy darkness. A girl stands in front of a high threshold... A Russian girl. That impenetrable darkness breathes frost; and along with the chilling stream, a slow, dull voice is carried out from the depths of the building. - Oh, you who want to cross this threshold, do you know what awaits you? “I know,” the girl answers. - Cold, hunger, hatred, ridicule, contempt, resentment, prison, illness and death itself? - I know. - Complete alienation, loneliness? - I know. I'm ready. I will endure all the suffering, all the blows. - Not only from enemies, but also from relatives and friends? - Yes... and from them. - Fine. Are you ready to make a sacrifice? - Yes. - To an unnamed victim? You will die - and no one... no one will even know whose memory to honor! “I don’t need gratitude or regret.” I don't need a name. -Are you ready for a crime? The girl lowered her head... - And she’s ready for a crime. The voice did not immediately resume its questions. “Do you know,” he finally spoke, “that you can lose faith in what you believe now, you can understand that you were deceived and ruined your young life for nothing?” - I know that too. And yet I want to enter. - Come in! The girl crossed the threshold - and a heavy curtain fell behind her. - Stupid! - someone rasped from behind. - Holy! - came from somewhere in response.

Inessa Armand sacrificed everything for the sake of love for V.I. Lenin. They met in 1909 in a Parisian cafe. Their stormy romance began precisely during the courses that Inessa organized, and Vladimir Ilyich acted as the main speaker. Inessa described her first impressions of meeting Vladimir and revealed her secret women's feelings. She did not hesitate to tell Vladimir Ilyich about them, since that old thing was already a joyful and unforgettable story for them: “At that time I was afraid of you more than fire. I want to see you, but it seems better to die on the spot than to come to you, and when for some reason you entered N.K.’s room, I immediately became lost and stupid. I was always surprised and envious of the courage of others who came straight to you and talked to you. It was only in Longjumeau and then the following autumn, due to translations and other things, that I got a little used to you. I loved not only listening, but also looking at you when you spoke. Firstly, your face becomes so animated, and secondly, it was convenient to watch, because you didn’t notice it at the time.”

Surprisingly, Krupskaya did not interfere with the development of their relationship, feelings, and probably waited for Vladimir’s decision, while agreeing with any of them. But Lenin was in no hurry to make a decision, especially since Krupskaya was ill. At the end of September 1913, after prison, Inessa returned to Krakow, at which time Krupskaya was slowly recovering after the operation. Soon Inessa leaves for Paris. Such a hasty departure was caused by Vladimir Ilyich’s firm decision to break off their love affair. We learn about this bitter conversation for Inessa from the following surviving letter from Inessa from Paris to Krakow at the end of 1913: “We have parted, we have parted, dear one! And it hurts so much. I know, I feel, you will never come here! Looking at well-known places, I was clearly aware, as never before, of what a big place you still occupied here in Paris in my life, that almost all activities here in Paris were connected with a thousand threads with the thought of you. I wasn’t in love with you at all then, but even then I loved you very much. Even now I would do without kisses, just to see you, sometimes talking to you would be a joy, and it would not hurt anyone. Why was I deprived of this? You're asking if I'm angry that you "handled" the breakup. No, I think that you did not do this for your own sake... I kiss you deeply. Yours Inessa."

In her diary entries, shortly before her death, Inessa left the following confession: “...Now I am indifferent to everyone. And most importantly, I miss almost everyone. The warm feeling remained only for the children and for V.I. In all other respects, the heart seemed to have died out. It’s as if, having given all his strength, all his passion to V.I. and the work of his work, all the sources of love, sympathy for people with which he was previously so rich were exhausted... I am a living corpse, and this is terrible.” After the revolution of 1917 Lenin appointed I. Armand chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Moscow province and settled him next to the apartment of his sister, Anna Ilyinichna. In the fall of 1920, Armand became seriously ill. Lenin persuaded her to go to the Caucasus for treatment. Inessa obeyed, as always. A month later, a telegram arrived from the Caucasus: “Out of line. Moscow Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party. Council of People's Commissars. Lenin. It was not possible to save my comrade Inessa Armand, who was ill with cholera, period ended on September 24, period the body will be transported to Moscow Nazarov.” She was 46 years old. Among the wreaths laid on the grave, one was of fresh white flowers with the inscription on the mourning ribbon: “To Comrade Inessa from V.I. Lenin.” Lenin's shock was enormous. Kollontai stated in her memoirs that: “he could not survive Inessa Armand. Inessa’s death accelerated his illness, which became fatal.” L. Vasilyeva in her book “Kremlin Wives” noted that “Inessa’s ashes were placed in the Kremlin wall, among the famous, illustrious Bolsheviks. According to Bolshevik protocol, such a place did not suit her. But this violation was the only thing the leader of the revolution could do for Inessa in order to thank her for everything that had happened and not happened in their life together apart on this earth.” Vladimir Ilyich outlived Inessa Armand by only three years. After the death of the leader, in February 1924, Krupskaya sent a request to the Central Committee to bury the remains of her husband along with the ashes of Inessa Armand. Stalin rejected this proposal.

Pierre de Coubertin dedicated his entire life to the idea of ​​reviving the Olympic Games. At the age of 19, he came up with the idea to do everything as it was. It seemed that this idea was impracticable. He died at the age of seventy-three, and began working on the Olympic Games at twenty-six, that is, almost half a century was devoted to the idea of ​​Olympism! Biographers of the great Frenchman write: “You shouldn’t think that Coubertin’s idea immediately captivated the entire sports world. She had more than enough doubters and opponents... Even more - sports figures who said that in general this was a good thing, but to do it themselves good deed didn't want to. Coubertin travels around many countries of the world, argues, convinces, proves. Writes hundreds of letters to various sports organizations. Perhaps it was that same super-perseverance that makes a great athlete train tirelessly, and then, overcoming everything, strive for victory... On November 25, 1892, Coubertin gave a report at the Sorbonne on the revival of the Olympic Games. He spoke so convincingly and passionately that French sports figures, although not immediately, decided to convene the International Athletic Congress and invite representatives of the largest sports powers to it. All the most authoritative sports figures on the globe had to agree on the rules and principles of the Games. The Congress was attended by 2 thousand people from 10 countries, including Russia. And so on June 23, 1894, at the Congress in Paris, the International Olympic Committee - the IOC - was created. Of course, you already know this now very famous abbreviation. Congress decided: in two years the first Olympic Games! And it was a great victory world sport, the great feat of Pierre de Coubertin!

Petr Kovalev 2013

Self-sacrifice... What associations does this word give you? Of course, self-denial for the sake of a high ideal, heroism that saves lives and guards moral values, altruism and nobility. It's hard to argue with this. But is self-sacrifice always a sincere surrender, can it be called morality and greatness of soul? Or is this a false and useless chivalry? Let's try to figure it out.

Slavic mentality

The great writer and honorary academician Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, who lived in the 19th century, once said that self-sacrifice is the most offensive form of selfishness. Being a wise philosopher, he knew what he was talking about. Tolstoy drew attention to the Slavic mentality: from birth, each of us has the desire to devote our lives to higher goals. By nature we are not individualists. In addition, in Slavic countries, the desire to sacrifice oneself is encouraged and brought up from childhood: for the good of one’s neighbor, homeland, idea.

It is clear that self-sacrifice during war is justified. If it were not for the exploits of our grandfathers during World War II, it is unknown what problems and troubles would have awaited our nation. As for self-sacrifice for the sake of a loved one, many also consider it a sign of good manners. You don’t even have to think about children: there is an opinion that a woman is simply obliged to put her life on the altar of children’s whims and desires. Although how can you grow up happy, knowing that someone nearby must suffer from this.

The basis of self-sacrifice

It is generally accepted that the foundation of this human character trait, behavior pattern and belief is love. Like, a deep feeling pushes us to heroic deeds: we want to devote ourselves free of charge to our soulmate, children, and in some cases even to colleagues and our favorite business in general. But psychologists say that the problem with self-sacrifice is that its basis is absolutely unattractive - it is uncertainty and fear.

When doubting, a person does not feel the strength, power, and hardness within himself. Such an individual thinks that he is not capable of this on his own, so he begins to live by the achievements and problems of other people. In addition, he is sure that, being a loser, he is not even worth the leniency of society. As a result, he begins to fight for the affection of loved ones, while pulling out his trump card up his sleeve - self-sacrifice, which becomes a tool of manipulation. Fear arises from the fear of losing a loved one.

Selfishness is the starting point

The saddest thing about this story is this: the further you go into the labyrinth of self-sacrifice, the worse it is for you. The consequences can even be tragic. Look around - there are many examples around: grown children, heavily cared for by their parents, do not call them for months, and wives who gave up their careers and communication with friends in order to take care of their loved ones remain abandoned by their husbands or suffer infidelity for the rest of their lives. Do not rush to brand traitors, because in the current situation only you are to blame.

The ingratitude of loved ones lies in the main problem self-sacrifice. The arguments that you will hear from people will be undeniable: “Who asked you?” And they will be right. No one begged you to give up your own interests and desires; you made the choice yourself. Blaming, for example, a child for the inability to establish personal life Because of your eternal concern for him, think about whether you are shifting responsibility for your own mistakes and failures in relationships with members of the opposite sex onto his shoulders. This is why self-sacrifice is pure selfishness. After all, a person acts in a way that is convenient and beneficial for him, without thinking about whether his loved ones need it.

Spawn of Evil

If self-sacrifice occurs at the level of an individual family or group, its destructive scale is not so global. When the interests of a huge power, a people or a large group of people are affected, the consequences can be very unfavorable. which are aimed at protecting and securing a particular object, often form the basis of terrorism. After all, those who blow themselves up and their hostages sincerely believe that they are dying for the good of religion.

This logic can be seen very clearly and clearly in the actions of terrorists who profess Islam. Members of Hamas or Hezbollah, for example, do not feel guilty when they kill hundreds of people. They say they are committing a sacrificial act, for which they will be rewarded in the next life. Just from the above example we can conclude that self-sacrifice is not always a good deed. Sometimes it can lead to tragic events and many innocent victims.

Types of self-sacrifice

Many psychologists are sure that not every person is capable of such an act. According to some scientists, self-sacrifice is inherited. This means that the desire to devote life to other people is inherent at the genetic level. Upbringing also makes its contribution: a child who grew up in a family where the mother gives her last money to charity considers this model of behavior to be correct, since she has not encountered the opposite. It shapes the worldview and collective zombification, which is often traced in religious sects or other communities.

Regardless of the source, self-sacrifice can be conscious or one that operates on a subconscious level. The first is a person’s understanding of his sacrifice and the price for it, the meaning and ultimate goal. A soldier, falling chest-first onto an enemy pillbox, in the last seconds of his life knows that his action saves his comrades from certain death. Such self-sacrifice is worthy of respect, it is truly heroic. As for the unconscious, these are exactly the situations that we mentioned. Unjustified, unnecessary self-sacrifice becomes a trap into which a person is drawn by those who try to manipulate his behavior and dream of stopping the development of the individual at a level that is comfortable for him.

Self-sacrifice in literature

Many Russian writers, being true Slavs, often touch on this topic in their works. Examples of self-sacrifice can be seen, for example, in the Heroines of his novel “Crime and Punishment” Sonechka Marmeladova and Dunya Raskolnikova sacrifice themselves for the sake of dear people. The first sells her body to earn food for her family. She suffers, but does not have the right to even banal suicide, since her loved ones will be left without a piece of bread. The second is going to marry an unloved but rich man, just to help her poor brother.

Maxim Gorky also often described cases of self-sacrifice. For example, in “Old Woman Izergil” his embodiment is Danko. The romantic hero, leading people through the forest, tore open his chest and took out his heart, illuminating the path in the darkness with it, like a torch. His supporters followed him and overcame a difficult road. Danko died, and the people very quickly forgot their hero. The question arises: was this self-sacrifice necessary? Think about this before you throw your own dreams and aspirations at the feet of another person.

Self-Sacrifice: Glorious Virtue or Foolish Self-Denial

Nowadays, there is no clear definition of important concepts related to morality and ethics. The vagueness of terminology, the shift in the vision of the world among many people towards evil materialism has led to the fact that various definitions have merged together.
Confusion reigns in the minds of the average person, which makes him defenseless against two opposite extremes - egocentrism and self-sacrifice. Most are accustomed to believing that selfishness is not at all a quality that allows one to look after one’s interests, but a trait inherent in selfish and selfish persons. Altruism does not mean selfless concern for other people, but a property characteristic of weak-willed people.

But society generally does not have a consensus on such a personality quality as self-sacrifice. For some people, the ability to self-sacrifice is akin to highly moral heroism. In the understanding of other people, self-sacrifice is a stupid and meaningless lifestyle. However, for most contemporaries, true egoism is an evil that requires censure and punishment. While the ability to self-sacrifice is the highest degree of virtue. In a word: selfishness is always terrible, but self-sacrifice is wonderful.

Is it possible to unambiguously judge the personality trait - readiness for self-sacrifice? Is it immoral to care about one's own life while it is normal to worry about the existence of others? This publication will try to answer these questions. From the point of view of an intelligent, independent, free, creative and self-respecting person, which your author considers himself to be.

What is self-sacrifice: the essence of the phenomenon
What is self-sacrifice? According to explanatory dictionaries, self-sacrifice is a personality trait that manifests itself in a person’s willingness to give up his own interests, ignore personal needs, and brush aside life’s pleasures for the sake of the convenience and well-being of other people. Self-sacrifice is a person's determination to freely devote his energy, time, effort, knowledge and skills to some goal.
IN different religions, cultures, and philosophical teachings, self-sacrifice is assessed differently. In Christianity, this personality trait is recognized as the highest virtue and goes on a par with self-denial for the sake of the Lord. Psychologists consider self-sacrifice to be the extreme manifestation of altruism and argue that this human quality is the cause of many mental phenomena, including pathological self-hatred, known as the phenomenon of self-hating Jew.

Self-sacrifice often goes along with a bunch of other human virtues, including: heroism, kindness, conscientiousness, patriotism, selflessness, generosity. Self-sacrifice can be observed in different areas of life and manifest itself in various behaviors. For example: a soldier gives his life defending the Fatherland. A parent loses one kidney while saving the life of his child. A woman who dedicated her life to the development of her offspring. A kid voluntarily giving his favorite toy to an unfortunate orphan.

It can be argued that self-sacrifice involves bringing to the altar of a chosen goal a greater value than the amount of benefit we will receive from the act. The voluntary distribution of unnecessary things to the suffering poor can hardly be called a donation. After all, in the end, a person receives great benefits - freeing up personal space and cleansing the soul. Likewise, the deal that a young girl makes when she marries a rich old man and loses the opportunity to be among her peers cannot be called self-sacrifice. In this situation, the contract works: she gives her time and body, receiving material benefits in return. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between what is true self-sacrifice and what is an ordinary transaction.
Altruists also include a variety of self-sacrifice as a person’s conscious refusal to receive pleasure in the present for the sake of receiving benefits in the future. However, such an interpretation is completely absurd. Can the exhausting cramming of a student who gave up today's entertainment in order to become a famous surgeon in the future be called self-sacrifice? Can the active work of an entrepreneur who deliberately lost his leisure time in order to get his business off the ground be considered self-sacrifice? It is unlikely that such actions can be classified as heroic virtues, since consciously sacrificing a rook in order to take possession of a queen is a competent and thoughtful move.

Cases of heroism are not always self-sacrifice. For example: a soldier who bravely goes to meet the enemy who attacked his homeland is simply fulfilling his duty, defending his own freedom from the aggressor. However, if he goes to the ends of the earth as part of a “humanitarian mission,” his behavior can be called self-sacrifice, since inter-tribal massacres in some African states do not at all affect his personal interests.

What causes the savior syndrome: reasons for sacrifice
Today, many people constantly sacrifice themselves for the convenience of other people. Most often, female representatives act as Iphigenia’s savior: the need to look after someone is in their blood. However, among the voluntary saviors of the world, this need is off the charts. Iphigenias shoulder a heavy burden: they endlessly put themselves in someone else’s position, protect others from troubles, and solve other people’s problems. They advise and insist, guard and protect. They put up with any injustice and tolerate any shortcomings.

Their act of self-sacrifice is aimed at their spouse, offspring, ancestors, friends, colleagues. They act contrary to their interests, hobbies, goals and cause considerable harm to mental health. Why do these “Mother Teresas” sacrifice their lives as a senseless sacrifice?
Psychologists point out that the reason for senseless heroism takes root in early childhood, when a sense of self-worth and guilt is entrenched in the child’s subconscious. An incorrect parenting strategy, moral pressure, excessive demands, unhealthy criticism, and eternal reproaches form an unconscious feeling of guilt in a small person. And the psyche of the fragile creature suggests the only way out, how to smooth out these painful sensations - to sacrifice oneself, asserting one’s virtue.

Another reason for the tendency to self-sacrifice is the indifference of parents to the needs of the child. If the father and mother behaved distantly, did not take into account the interests of the baby, were not interested in his achievements, and did not help solve the problem, then the child strives with all his might to attract the attention of loved ones and win their love. How to do it? Complete submission and self-sacrifice: study excellently, bear household chores, meekly carry out the commands of parents. Childhood flies by quickly, but the habit of sacrificing oneself in order to earn the recognition of people remains.
The habit of self-sacrifice can develop against the background of a unique personal portrait. As a rule, the characteristic features of Mother Teresa are kindness, kindness, responsiveness, and compassion. They are able to identify themselves with another person, to feel what he feels. These are impressionable, suspicious, easily vulnerable people.

The benefits and harms of self-sacrifice: the dangers of self-sacrifice
Many people mistakenly believe that self-sacrifice is a virtue. That being the savior Iphigenia is an honor. Indeed, to make self-sacrifice for the sake of high goals or, if absolutely necessary, in the name of saving the life of another is heroism.
However, in real life, self-sacrifice is more like unhealthy recklessness. In reality, the great martyrs Iphigenia are rarely rewarded: self-sacrifice often comes to their detriment.
As a rule, those around them manipulate such people, abusing their reliability and kindness. They are taken advantage of, humiliated and bullied.
The habit of self-sacrifice leads to Teresa's mother forgetting about herself. They stop taking care of their appearance, do not take care of their health, and degrade as a person. As a result, close people begin to see in such ladies not a woman, not even a person, but a creature without rights.

People accustomed to self-sacrifice have many problems in personal relationships. Their partners quickly lose interest in such persons, since communicating with a hunted victim is uninteresting, and you don’t want to make love to a runt. Very often, men run away from such companions, since their sacrifice is very similar to total control. But being under strict control, when everything is done and decided for you, not many people like.
In other words, reckless self-sacrifice is fraught with complete destruction of a person’s life. He ceases to be an independent person, cannot lead a full life, loses his understanding of true values, and exists according to false priorities. The saviors of Iphigenia are frequent patients in psychiatric clinics who have lost their mental health as a result of unnecessary sacrifice.

How to get rid of senseless sacrifice: steps to healthy selfishness
How to stop pointlessly sacrificing yourself and not being the savior of unworthy people? We pay attention to studying the following recommendations from psychologists.

Step 1
To stop being a reckless Iphigenia, you need to carefully examine your behavior in all aspects of life. Determine which of our actions are effective and necessary help to a person in need, and which actions are a disservice. We should establish which of the things we do bring us a sense of self-satisfaction and improve our mood, and which activities we perform with a creak in our souls. We must find out which of the duties we perform benefit us, contribute to our improvement and the unfolding of our potential, help brighten up reality, and which tasks throw us back to a lower stage of development of homo sapiens.
It is advisable to conduct such an analysis of your own life in a calm environment, recording the established facts on a piece of paper.

Step 2
Once we have established which acts of our sacrifice benefit our own personality and are indispensable for loved ones, and which acts are a manifestation of reckless altruism, we should draw up a program for the gradual elimination of “attacks of heroism”.
It should be remembered that it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of the habit of sacrificing yourself and becoming an inveterate egoist in an instant. We stock up on patience, act consistently and gradually, but decisively.

Step 3
How to apply the program to eliminate self-sacrifice in practice? Let's start small. If our self-sacrifice consists of ignoring our interests for the benefit of our household, and our everyday life consists of satisfying the desires of loved ones, then we radically restructure our behavior.
We allow family members to be free, independent, and independent. We stop controlling their every step. We delegate some of the household responsibilities to them. We don't try to satisfy their desires. We give them the opportunity to independently clear up the mess they have made.
This does not mean that we should completely brush aside the problems of loved ones. But their difficulties must be filtered through the filter of “real problems” and “man-made difficulties.”
For example, if our faithful spouse managed to drink away his entire salary in three days, let him now decide for himself where to get funds for food. If a negligent partner, without consulting anyone, got into a credit yoke, then let him look for funds to repay the debt himself. If a precious husband has invested all the family savings in a dubious scam, then let him spin like a squirrel in a wheel and work three jobs, and not shift the solution of problems to us.

We must make such drastic decisions about all aspects of life that force us to sacrifice our interests, time, and health. If household members want gourmet dinners, then let them earn money for food in an expensive restaurant or create culinary masterpieces in the kitchen themselves. If a young child wants the latest model of iPhone, let him look for ways to earn money, for example: handing out leaflets, and not demanding an expensive gift from you, for the purchase of which you can put your teeth on a shelf.

Step 4
To get rid of the habit of self-sacrifice, you need to switch your attention to yourself. Heroically and inspiredly playing the role of an ideal wife and a perfect mother, we completely forget that we are a unique personality and an attractive woman. And not a workhorse, a free cleaner, a cook, a dishwasher, a nanny, a nurse and a pocket psychologist all rolled into one. Having recognized for yourself that you are a free person, allow yourself to do everything that was previously strictly prohibited.
We start with our inner “cover”: hair masks, body wraps, facial spa treatments. Visiting the sauna, swimming pool, beauty salon, massage room and gym must definitely enter our lives.

Step 5
To stop sacrificing ourselves for the sake of other people's benefits, we need to find a powerful inner core. Develop spiritually, transform your destructive character traits into positive personality traits, abandon the destructive thinking program. How to do it? Read literature, attend psychological trainings, discuss your problems with a specialist. Good way develop your personality - contemplate the surrounding reality, feeling like an impartial sage. Observe, notice, analyze, admire the beautiful world, discarding the habit of hanging categorical labels.

Step 6
Attending various events will help you get rid of the habit of self-sacrifice and become a harmonious person. Watching quality films, visiting art galleries and museums, attending concerts and performances will help you gain A New Look to life and bring bright colors to everyday realities.
It is possible that at first it will be a little uncomfortable and alarming. After all, we are used to sacrificing ourselves and banning pleasure. To distract yourself from anxious thoughts, you can make it a rule to take long walks in the forest and sign up for a yoga class.

Step 7
To break the habit of self-sacrifice, we must learn to respect ourselves. To do this, we celebrate even the smallest achievements and record our successes on paper. Don't forget to praise and thank yourself even for tiny deeds.
A person who loves and values ​​himself is respected by others. We remember that it is impossible to ask confident and self-sufficient people to become victims.

Instead of an afterword
To get rid of a destructive quality - meaningless self-sacrifice - we must learn to say a firm “no” to requests that are unpleasant and difficult for us to fulfill. Master the skill of tactfully refusing if other people’s suggestions cause internal protest in us. Be able to argue your point of view and boldly defend your views.
We remember that a harmonious personality combines healthy egoism and justified altruism. Therefore, it is necessary to free yourself from the need for self-sacrifice in order to live happily and fully.

• Self-sacrifice does not always involve risking one's life
• Love for the Motherland motivates a person to perform heroic deeds
• A man is ready to sacrifice himself for the one he really loves.
• To save a child, sometimes it is not a pity to sacrifice the most valuable thing a person has - his own life.
• Only a moral person is capable of performing a heroic act
• Willingness to self-sacrifice does not depend on income level or social status
• Heroism is expressed not only in actions, but also in the ability to be true to one’s word even in the most difficult life situations
• People are ready to sacrifice themselves even in the name of saving a stranger

Arguments

L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”. Sometimes we do not suspect that this or that person can commit a heroic act. This is confirmed by an example from this work: Pierre Bezukhov, being a rich man, decides to stay in Moscow, besieged by the enemy, although he has every opportunity to leave. He - real man who does not put his financial situation first. Without sparing himself, the hero saves a little girl from the fire, performing a heroic act. You can also turn to the image of Captain Tushin. At first he does not make a good impression on us: Tushin appears before the command without boots. But the battle proves that this man can be called a real hero: the battery under the command of Captain Tushin selflessly repels enemy attacks, without cover, sparing no effort. And it doesn’t matter at all what impression these people make on us when we first meet them.

I.A. Bunin “Lapti”. In an impenetrable blizzard, Nefed went to Novoselki, located six miles from home. He was prompted to do this by the requests of a sick child to bring red bast shoes. The hero decided that “he needs to get it” because “his soul desires.” He wanted to buy bast shoes and paint them magenta. By nightfall Nefed had not returned, and in the morning the men brought his dead body. In his bosom they found a bottle of magenta and brand new bast shoes. Nefed was ready for self-sacrifice: knowing that he was putting himself in danger, he decided to act for the benefit of the child.

A.S. Pushkin “The Captain's Daughter”. Love for Marya Mironova, captain's daughter, more than once encouraged Pyotr Grinev to put his life in danger. He went to the Belogorsk fortress captured by Pugachev to snatch the girl from Shvabrin’s hands. Pyotr Grinev understood what he was getting into: at any moment he could be caught by Pugachev’s people, he could be killed by the enemies. But nothing stopped the hero; he was ready to save Marya Ivanovna even at the cost of his own life. The readiness for self-sacrifice also manifested itself when Grinev was under investigation. He did not talk about Marya Mironova, whose love led him to Pugachev. The hero did not want to make the girl involved in the investigation, although this would allow him to justify himself. Pyotr Grinev showed by his actions that he was ready to endure anything for the sake of the happiness of the person dear to him.

F.M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”. The fact that Sonya Marmeladova went with the “yellow ticket” is also a kind of self-sacrifice. The girl decided to do this herself, consciously, in order to feed her family: her drunkard father, stepmother and her little children. No matter how dirty her “profession” is, Sonya Marmeladova is worthy of respect. Throughout the entire work she proved her spiritual beauty.

N.V. Gogol “Taras Bulba”. If Andriy, the youngest son of Taras Bulba, turned out to be a traitor, then Ostap, the eldest son, proved himself to be a strong personality, a real warrior. He did not betray his father and homeland, he fought to the last. Ostap was executed in front of his father. But no matter how hard, painful and scary it was for him, he did not make a sound during the execution. Ostap – a real hero who gave his life for his homeland.

V. Rasputin “French Lessons”. Lydia Mikhailovna, an ordinary French teacher, was capable of self-sacrifice. When her student, the hero of the work, came to school beaten, and Tishkin said that he was playing for money, Lidia Mikhailovna was in no hurry to tell the director about it. She found out that the boy was playing because he did not have enough money for food. Lidia Mikhailovna began teaching the student French, which he was not good at, at home, and then offered to play “measures” with her for money. The teacher knew that this should not be done, but the desire to help the child was more important to her. When the director found out about everything, Lydia Mikhailovna was fired. Her seemingly wrong action turned out to be noble. The teacher sacrificed her reputation to help the boy.

N.D. Teleshov “Home”. Semka, so eager to return to his native land, met an unfamiliar grandfather along the way. They walked together. On the way, the boy fell ill. The unknown person took him to the city, although he knew that he could not appear there: his grandfather had escaped from hard labor for the third time. Grandfather was caught in the city. He understood the danger, but the child's life was more important to him. Grandfather sacrificed his quiet life for the future of a stranger.

A. Platonov “The Sandy Teacher”. From the village of Khoshutovo, located in the desert, Maria Naryshkina helped create a real green oasis. She devoted herself entirely to work. But the nomads passed - not a trace remained of the green spaces. Maria Nikiforovna went to the district with a report, where she was offered to transfer to work in Safuta in order to teach the nomads who were transitioning to sedentary life the culture of the sands. She agreed, which demonstrated her readiness for self-sacrifice. Maria Naryshkina decided to devote herself to a good cause, not thinking about her family or the future, but helping people in the difficult struggle against the sands.

M.A. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”. For the sake of the Master, Margarita was ready to do anything. She decided to make a deal with the devil and was the queen at Satan’s ball. And all in order to see the Master. True love forced the heroine to make self-sacrifice, to go through all the tests prepared for her by fate.

A.T. Tvardovsky “Vasily Terkin”. The main character of the work is a simple Russian guy who honestly and selflessly fulfills his soldier’s duty. His crossing of the river was a real heroic act. Vasily Terkin was not afraid of the cold: he knew that he needed to convey the lieutenant’s request. What the hero did seems impossible, incredible. This is a feat of a simple Russian soldier.

From the huge variety of texts for preparing for the Unified State Exam in the Russian language, we have identified those problems related to self-sacrifice that occur most often. We have selected arguments from the literature for them. All of them are available for download in table form (link at the end of the article).

1. A.T. Tvardovsky "Vasily Terkin". A. T. Tvardovsky in his famous poem “Vasily Terkin” managed to show the strength of character of the Russian person and his dedication. Legends can be made about the fate of a simple soldier. The hero, of course, perceives the war with bitterness, but knows that he must do everything in his power to help people who find themselves in difficult conditions. He always tried to joke with his comrades and tell them something interesting so that they did not have time to think about what awaited them ahead. Without any doubt, he is ready to help anyone, this is his duty. For example, in the chapter “Crossing” he swims across an icy river to convey important information to his superiors and help his comrades remaining on the other side. And most importantly, he does not require awards or titles for his dedication; a glass of strong drink can already make him a little happier. It is important to understand here that there were thousands like Terkin during the war, in each company there was one brave fighter who was ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of victory and happiness for the future generation.
2. B.L. Vasiliev “And the dawns here are quiet.” The horror of war could not escape anyone. Every family has faced loss, grief and daily fear. B. Vasiliev tells us the stories of girls who decided to go to the front, and each of them had a good reason for such a decision. Few people are accustomed to associating war with women, and this awareness does not make it any easier. Five young girls fought bravely against the hated enemy and were ready to do anything to carry out the commander’s orders. Even when their friends began to die before their eyes, one after another, they did not give up, they only became even more eager to win. There was too much grief and tears in their lives, but this only strengthened their spirit and did not allow weakness to break out. Each of them accomplished a feat and gave their lives for their Motherland, without at all doubting the correctness of their actions.
3. L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace". In the novel "War and Peace" there are descriptions of many characters, and they all behave differently at the time when the war against Napoleon began. But I would like to focus on the personality of Captain Tushin, who initially does not make a positive impression on the reader. L. Tolstoy wants to show this man from a completely different angle. The battle scene in which Tushin's battery takes part is impressive to the core. No one could have thought that a man who appears before the commander-in-chief without boots could commit a heroic act. Tushin's bravery manifests itself at a critical moment, when he, sparing no effort, repelled enemy attacks. And when you read about such selfless deeds, you begin to understand the whole essence of the word “self-sacrifice.”

Love's self-sacrifice

1. W. Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet." The most famous tragedy of love tells the story of two young people who were willing to sacrifice everything for the feelings they had for each other. Historically, their families had to compete with each other, but this could not become an obstacle to the emergence of love between Romeo and Juliet. They had too little time, but still the love that flared up so quickly was pure and real. And Shakespeare eloquently points out how true these words are, because the heroes sacrifice their lives for the sake of feeling.
2. A.I. Kuprin "Garnet Bracelet". This is a story by A.I. Kuprin, which reveals the idea of ​​what a person is capable of for the sake of love. The image of Zheltkov makes the reader understand that deep feelings can be high and noble. The hero devotes his entire life to only one woman, whom he does not dare forget or betray. He does not demand anything in return from the princess, he simply loves selflessly. Zheltkov is able to experience a feeling of happiness from seemingly very insignificant things. He gives a gift to his beloved, knowing that he will never be able to be with her. His whole life is shrouded in tender feelings for this woman, which can only be stopped by death. After an explanation with Vera’s husband, Zheltkov sees only one, but very sad, way out, since he does not want to bring unhappiness into her life.
3. Homer "Odyssey". Ancient Greek myths are full of stories about exploits, but is there a place for love there? Homer's Odyssey tells the adventures of a hero in the Trojan War. Odysseus wandered the seas for many years, defeated monsters and could not find his way home, as he was cursed. Why did he endure all these hardships when he had a chance to settle on an island with the goddess Calypso and end his life in eternal peace? Odysseus did so much precisely for the love of his wife, Penelope. He tried to find his way home at all costs, because he knew that she had not forgotten and was patiently waiting for his return. For his sake, she also endured constant attacks from hated suitors and tried to do everything possible to wait for her beloved husband. Even when everyone around her stopped believing that he was still alive, she continued to keep hope in her heart.

Slavish self-sacrifice

1. N.V. Gogol "The Overcoat". N.V. Gogol was one of the first writers who paid attention to the figure of a small man. Of course, the main character of the story “The Overcoat,” Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, evokes a feeling of pity in the reader. But do not forget that only he himself is to blame for his own situation. All his life he was accustomed to curry favor with everyone whom he considered superior to himself, and this leads him to realize his own insignificance. He drags out his miserable existence, focusing his attention on absolutely petty events. The habit of humiliating himself in front of others makes him a slave to his own life, which leads him to such a sad outcome.
2. A.P. Chekhov "Chameleon". The main character of the story A.P. Chekhov's "Chameleon" is another example of stupid and comical self-sacrifice. Warden Ochumelov is so eager to show everyone his respect for the general that he completely forgets about how he looks in the eyes of other people. Sacrificing his own honor and dignity, he is ready to lick the higher ranks, despite the fact that this will not bring him any obvious benefit. Chekhov is trying to show what an unfavorable “color” a person looks like, who does not have his own position, and is ready to adapt to everyone in order to make a good impression.

Self-sacrifice associated with the profession

1. M.A. Bulgakov "Notes of a Young Doctor". In the work of M.Yu. Bulgakov’s “Notes of a Young Doctor” reveals before us the image of a young doctor who has just completed his studies and is going to practice in some God-forsaken village. He finds himself in conditions that do not particularly correspond to those to which he had become accustomed while in the city, in a civilized hospital. But, despite the surrounding poverty, the young man involuntarily warms up to each of his patients and puts all his knowledge and professionalism into the treatment process. Finding himself in difficult situations, he miraculously finds answers, delighting everyone else with his abilities. This is precisely where his sacrifice lies; the young doctor tried at any cost to save every patient who came to him for help.
2. I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons". The image of Evgeny Bazarov in the novel by I.S. Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" has always delighted readers. But there was a feature in this young hero that stood out more than anyone else. He was extremely inquisitive and hardworking. Bazarov tried to devote time every day to learning something new and improving already acquired skills. He saw his life in constant development and enlightenment. His confidence that only hard and persistent work could save a society mired in sins was not in vain. And the moment when Evgeniy accidentally injures himself while working is also significant. In fact, he is dying of the desire to become a good doctor and help people, that is, he sacrifices himself for the sake of his favorite work of his whole life.

Self-sacrifice for people

1. Aeschylus "Prometheus Bound" The myth of Prometheus, who gave fire to humanity, is the most famous example of self-sacrifice. Prometheus wanted people to become more than just ordinary savages who live in fear of the gods. He saw in them enormous potential and opportunities that they themselves could not guess about. So he gives them fire and later shows them how to make it themselves. He also decided to teach people counting and reading, the art of taming animals and seafaring skills. Prometheus knew that Zeus would punish him for his rebellious behavior, but he deliberately sacrificed himself to give humanity the opportunity to live differently.
2. W. Shakespeare "Hamlet". In William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, the main character, a Danish prince, faces terrible events. His father dies, and later appears in the form of a spirit and asks for revenge on those responsible for his death. Hamlet is confused and most The work tries to understand what exactly is happening in his life, and how not to go crazy from it. He observes those who surrounded him throughout his adult life, and sees in what a rotten society he existed, without noticing such an obvious vice. Hamlet thinks through a series of actions to discover his father's killer, and then decides to take revenge. Despite the deep mental anguish, the prince knows that he must commit this bloody act in order to cleanse the Danish kingdom of all the bad people who brought so much grief to his family.
3. In A. Solzhenitsyn’s story “Matrenin’s Dvor” The heroine has sacrificed her interests all her life for the sake of the prosperity of the people around her. In her youth, she married not for love, but to help the family of her missing fiancé. She became the wife of his younger brother, Efim. Then she devoted all her best years to selfless work for the benefit of her newly-made relatives and the local collective farm. Then, having lost her children, she took in raising the daughter of the returning Thaddeus, who hated her for her alleged betrayal. At the end of his life path the kind woman decided to sacrifice the house, giving the best part of it to Kira. While dragging the room over the rails, she met her death. Alas, no one remembered or appreciated her daily selfless works in the name of her neighbors, because at the funeral her relatives and friends only shared the meager inheritance, without grieving over the loss. However, it was this man who always helped them at the cost of self-sacrifice.

B. Vasiliev “My horses are flying.” Dr. Jansen died saving children who had fallen into a sewer pit. The man, who was revered as a saint during his lifetime, was buried by the entire city.

Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita". Margarita's self-sacrifice for the sake of her beloved, the Master. Margarita leaves her wealthy husband, a “famous engineer,” for a poor Master. She is ready to make any sacrifice, even agrees to provide a service to Woland the Satan, just to find and free her loved one.

F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment" Sonechka Marmeladova, noble, pure. He sacrifices himself by going to the panel. She committed a sin, dared to sell herself for the sake of the starving father and stepmother of her children. But at the same time, she does not require or expect any gratitude. Sonechka does nothing for herself, everything is for the sake of others: her stepmother, stepbrothers and sister, Raskolnikov. The image of Sonya is the image of a true Christian and righteous woman.

Problem The role of example. Human education

V. P. Astafiev. "A horse with a pink mane."

Difficult pre-war years of the Siberian village. The formation of the hero's personality under the influence of the kindness of his grandparents.

V. G. Rasputin “French Lessons.”

Formation of the protagonist's personality during difficult war years. The role of the teacher and her spiritual generosity in the life of a boy. Thirst for knowledge, moral fortitude, self-esteem of the hero of the story.

Fathers and Sons

And S. Turgenev. "Fathers and Sons".

A classic work that shows the problem of misunderstanding between the older and younger generations. Evgeny Bazarov feels like a stranger in relation to both the elder Kirsanovs and his parents. And, although by his own admission he loves them, his attitude brings them grief.

L. N. Tolstoy. Trilogy “Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth”.

Striving to understand the world, to become an adult, Nikolenka Irtenev gradually gets to know the world, understands that much in it is imperfect, faces misunderstandings from her elders, and sometimes offends them (chapters “Classes”, “Natalya Savishna”)

K. G. Paustovsky “Telegram”.

A girl, Nastya, living in Leningrad, receives a telegram that her mother is sick, but matters that seem important to her do not allow her to go to her mother. When she, realizing the magnitude of the possible loss, comes to the village, it turns out to be too late: her mother is no longer there...

Problem Human responsibility for the lives of others

N. Tolstoy. "War and Peace".

Images of Kutuzov, Napoleon, Alexander I. A person who is aware of his responsibility to his homeland, people, and who knows how to understand them at the right moment is truly great. Such is Kutuzov, such are the ordinary people in the novel who carry out their duty without lofty phrases.

A. Kuprin. "Wonderful doctor."

A man, exhausted by poverty, is ready to desperately commit suicide, but the famous doctor Pirogov, who happens to be nearby, speaks to him. He

helps the unfortunate, and from that moment his life and the life of his family changes in the most happy way. This story eloquently shows that the actions of one person can affect the destinies of other people.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince".“You are forever responsible for those you tamed.” A wise phrase from the Fox spoken to the Little Prince.

M. A. Bulgakov. "Master and Margarita". The image of Yeshua is the image of Jesus Christ, carrying the idea of ​​true kindness and forgiveness. He says about all people, even about those who bring him pain and suffering: “Good man,” he forgives the procurator of Judea, who doomed him to a painful death, leaving with him into eternity.

The image of the procurator of Judea symbolizes how a person can be punished for unwillingness to take responsibility. Because of cowardice, he sends the innocent Yeshua to execution, to terrible torment, for which he suffers both on earth and in eternal life.

Problem: Scientific progress and human moral qualities

A. S. Griboyedov. "Woe from Wit"

M. Bulgakov. "Dog's heart"

Doctor Preobrazhensky turns a dog into a human. Scientists are driven by a thirst for knowledge, a desire to change nature. But sometimes progress turns into terrible consequences: a two-legged creature with a “dog’s heart” is not yet a person, because there is no soul in it, no love, honor, nobility.

M. Bulgakov, “Heart of a Dog”

Man does not always use science to benefit society. For example, in the story “The Heart of a Dog” by the outstanding writer M. Bulgakov, Doctor Preobrazhensky turns a dog into a human. Scientists are driven by a thirst for knowledge, a desire to change nature. But sometimes a scientific endeavor turns into terrible consequences: a two-legged creature with a “heart of a dog” is not yet a person, because there is no soul in it, no love, honor, nobility.

M. Bulgakov “Fatal eggs”

In the work of the Russian Soviet writer and playwright M. Bulgakov. "Fatal Eggs" most fully reflects the consequences of a careless attitude to the power of science. A brilliant and eccentric zoologist, Professor Persikov, accidentally breeds giant reptiles that threaten civilization instead of large chickens. The capital, as well as the rest of the country, is in panic. When it seemed that there would be no salvation, a terrible frost by August standards suddenly fell - minus 18 degrees. And the reptiles, unable to withstand it, died.

Since childhood, we all know about Lomonosov’s desire to become literate.

When we read some details from the adult life of this outstanding personality, it becomes clear to us how much more difficult it was for Lomonosov to overcome all the obstacles on the path to learning compared to our time.

Lomonosov was taught literacy by the deacon of the local church. Then Lomonosov assisted fellow villagers in drawing up business papers and petitions, and wrote letters. The consciousness of the need for “science” and knowledge arose in him early. “The gates of learning,” in his own words, for him were the books he obtained from somewhere: “Grammar” by Meletiy Smotritsky, “Arithmetic” by L. F. Magnitsky, “Rhyming Psalter” by Simeon of Polotsk. At the age of fourteen, the young Pomor wrote competently and clearly.

People have always wanted to know more. And not only more, but better: to know and not make mistakes. Knowledge is science. And thinking about the reliability of knowledge is already philosophy. At the beginning of European philosophy are three ancient Greeks: Socrates, Socrates' student Plato and Plato's student Aristotle. Of course, they had predecessors. Aristotle studied with Plato for twenty years. He was a good student. It was said that Plato once gave a lecture on the immortality of the soul. The lecture was so difficult that the students, without finishing listening, one after another got up and left. When Plato finished his lecture, only Aristotle was sitting in front of him. But the longer Aristotle listened to Plato, the less he agreed with what he heard. And when Plato died, Aristotle said: “Plato is my friend, but truth is dearer,” left Plato’s school and started his own.

Problem: Love for the Motherland

Recently, on social networks and on the Internet in general, you can increasingly hear calls for help in various situations. The matter may concern both the search for a shelter for homeless animals and financial assistance in difficult situations for one or another person. Many volunteer centers have emerged that search for funds or opportunities to improve individual crisis situations. There are many people who try to help on their own, for altruistic purposes, sometimes even to their detriment. So what is self-sacrifice, and what can it lead to?

What is self-sacrifice

The definition of “self-sacrifice” has been known for a very long time. IN Christian religion describes the incident of Jesus sacrificing his life for the salvation of all mankind. Nowadays, this concept is interpreted as a sacrifice of oneself or any aspects of one’s life in the interests of another person or living organism. Some may sacrifice themselves for scientific purposes, others - in order to stabilize situations in the world. The most important thing is that these sacrifices are made on a voluntary basis.

Why does a person strive for self-sacrifice?

There are many answers to the question of why a person engages in self-sacrifice. Each individual has his own reasons for this. Some people do this absolutely disinterestedly, showing generosity, others - for the sake of receiving certain regalia, others - because their upbringing does not allow them to do otherwise.

Individual religions and traditions view the issue of sacrifice differently. For example, in the Christian religion, self-sacrifice is the desire to devote oneself to the faith, the people, to change one’s own principles, life principles, etc.

From the point of view of human nature, best example self-sacrifice is maternal love, when for a woman the health, life, and happiness of her own child become above all else. This is also called absolute love.

Note! Love for the opposite sex or a friend also involves some kind of sacrifice, but it can hardly be called self-sacrifice; rather, it is a sacrifice of one’s interests for the sake of feelings.

The problem of self-sacrifice

The problem with self-sacrifice lies in the reasons that cause it. As a rule, those people who have such a feeling and desire develop fear and a lot of doubts. This can give rise to uncertainty in one's own actions, too high demands on oneself and a complete awareness of one's own insignificance. Against the background of the appearance of all the above thoughts, a desire is born to sacrifice oneself, to commit some act, to receive brief approval or support. Most often, this desire is based on fear. Even after committing some sacrificial acts, a person continues to reproach and castigate his inner consciousness. As a result, society regards this self-sacrifice as a way of manipulation to satisfy its own interests.

Why self-sacrifice is dangerous

Leo Tolstoy said: “The highest manifestation of egoism lies in self-sacrifice.” Why is such an aspiration dangerous? Society regards sacrificing oneself for love as the highest measure of proof of this feeling. But the questions arise: “should love bring suffering?”, “does anyone need these sacrifices?”

Self-sacrifice is often based on fear and uncertainty. That is, a person who sacrifices his life in the name of love is often simply confident that he is of no importance to anyone, and the object of his love will simply abandon him as a person if he does not commit any actions. The further a person goes in his aspirations to sacrifice his interests for the sake of another, the more often he asks himself the question of how others evaluate his actions. Those around, in turn, do not see any point in making sacrifices of a separately selected individual. Seeing all this, a person tries to prove to society the value of his sacrifice; this is already regarded as a manifestation of selfishness.

Important! Self-sacrifice is a definition, the interpretation of which has the right to exist only in the case where there are no expectations of encouragement and recognition.

What explains self-sacrifice

Scientists believe that self-sacrifice is laid down at the genetic level. Further, this feeling is brought up in a person by parents, religions, rulers, etc. Not every person is capable of sacrificing himself for something.

Self-sacrifice for love

Self-sacrifice for the sake of love is different in that at the moment of sacrifice a person does not see, hear or realize anything. His heart beats only at the moment when he feels his love object. If at some point something happens to the object, the world around it ceases to exist.

The story describes a case when a woman sacrificed not only herself for the sake of a man dying from receiving a high dose of radiation, but also her own child, whom she carried under her heart. At the moment of being next to her soul mate, the woman did not feel her pain, did not demand recognition from others, did not think about the health of the fruit of love, she repeated the phrase to herself: “I love you!” No amount of reasoning or advice would prove anything to her. This is how she determined for herself the degree of her love.

Self-sacrifice for others

Self-sacrifice for the sake of others can be conscious or unconscious. In the case of conscious self-sacrifice, people choose professions in which heroism is manifested: firefighters, military personnel, medical workers. These people understand all the risks associated with their work.

Unconscious self-sacrifice is usually an impulsive decision. In emergency situations, the issue of the number of victims is acute, and a person evaluates the outcome of the situation, deciding that it is possible to reduce the number of deaths by taking the brunt of the blow.

Examples of self-sacrifice

There are many examples of self-sacrifice in history. The great Russian classics describe them especially well. For example, Maxim Gorky, in his story “The Old Woman Izergil,” described the character Danko, who, in order to lead people out of the darkness, tore his heart out of his chest, which became a torch that illuminated the way for a crowd of people. Ultimately, Danko died, and people left the dark forest.

In the immortal novel “Crime and Punishment,” which Dostoevsky wrote, Marmeladova’s Sonechka, ready to infringe on herself in everything for the sake of a dignified existence for her loved ones, very clearly shows what self-sacrifice means. Even after becoming Raskolnikov’s wife, she chose exile with him in exchange for a stable and familiar life.

Articles appear in the press every now and then about firefighters whose dedication amazes society, who at the cost of their lives save people, carrying them out of burning houses.

At different periods of life, the readiness for self-sacrifice appears or disappears. The basis of these feelings and actions is only the benefit of others. People who sacrifice themselves do not demand anything in return, they do not need awards or universal recognition, they would like only one thing, that there is less evil and pain in the world.

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