Time to Get Real, The Price of Freedom Requires Sacrifice
If you are afraid to suffer you will never be free. It is not just about suffering but about sacrifice. To be free, one must be willing to sacrifice. The Black soldiers that fought against the Confederate slave owner army during the Civil War knew what the suffering would be, but it was more about sacrifice to gain freedom. Frederick Douglass knew all about suffering, but he did not end the struggle against slavery when he escaped and continued to sacrifice. Angela Davis, in the 1970s suffered as a result of being unjustly imprisoned, but continued to sacrifice for the cause of freedom. Thousands sacrificed and suffered but bore their pain for freedom.
The Real Cost of Resistance
Hundreds of Thousands are marching and protesting against the dictatorial policies of Trump and may indeed suffer, but the price of freedom requires sacrifice. No people ever gained their freedom unless they sacrificed. Sacrifice sometimes means putting your life on the line, as Nelson Mandela did, but one can sacrifice their time and pleasure to engage in a struggle for the better of humanity. Jesus sacrificed all as did Malcolm X. Harriet Tubman did not lose her life but her sacrifice of time and putting her life on the line was a great sacrifice. Martin Luther King sacrificed his time and life so that it would be a better country. Many in the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement sacrificed their freedom by going to jail while others sacrificed their time and energy printing leaflets, calling the press, talking to church members, doing door to door organizing, calling meetings, and other forms of resistance—this is what democracy looks like. We live in a time where getting real is of the utmost importance.
Sacrifice Builds Freedom, Not Comfort
Now is not the time to go to sleep, or listen to the Sambos of today (Tim Scott). Now is the time to renew our commitment to sacrifice to stop a dictatorship. Online definitions point out that sacrifice is important in various ways, “Sacrifice is important because it fosters empathy, builds character, prepares individuals for challenges, and inspires leadership. It also plays a role in religious practices, offering a way to approach God and seek forgiveness. In broader terms, sacrifice is a key component of personal growth, empathy, and finding purpose in life.” Sacrifice is important and may involve giving up something (smoking, sweets, etc.), time, and money so that you appreciate what you have earned or learned and what is possible. To sacrifice your time for human dignity, freedom, against white supremacy, and economic oppression is perhaps the greatest sacrifice.
Ask Yourself: What Will You Give Up?
The path to freedom is not easy, it requires hard work and determination, and most decisively it requires sacrifice in one form or another. You have to give up something to win. Most often, freedom from a dictator comes at a very high cost but one that must be paid. Think about what you can contribute to join the struggle against injustice and make it happen today. If nothing else share this article with a friend or communicate the ideas of sacrifice at time when white supremacy is on the rise. Think about why they are removing diversity programs from schools, why they want to ban certain books, why racists want to defund Black and Brown museums, why bad cops get away with murder, why the rich are becoming more and more wealthy and the poor are suffering, why the middle class is being robbed of their benefits, why social security is being threatened, and why we must fight on.
