Does one really have to sacrifice for their pursuit? Do we have to be broke and starve in order to be artists or pay the ultimate price to be worthy of our goal? What does the word "sacrifice" really mean? What if it was more a question of personal choice and less about what other may happen to get out your actions.
This reminds me of my friends that grew up as olympic hopefuls. Kids that did sports like gymnastics, figure skating, weightlifting, wrestling, etc. They spend their entire youth devoted to excellence in a particular athletic field. In pursuit of that dream, they are often unable to do things that “normal teens” do, like go to school dances, date other teens, or in some cases go to school at all. Particularly for the girls, they even have to give up the type of bodies that blossoming young are “supposed to have” in pursuit of this excellence.
On the flip side however, what does it feel like to be devoted to a singular purpose - to be one of the most amazing people in the world at something? What is it like to travel, and see the world before with fresh eyes before you learn everything in classrooms? Can we really call it a sacrifice?
None of us can do everything. Maybe greatness isn’t so much about sacrifice as it is about choosing what you enjoy and doing that until it doesn't feel good anymore. Even the most tortured artist must be getting at least a little something from their pursuit. It may hurt and leave his feelings exposed, wrists slit on the altar of unmet desires. No matter what, they come back to that old familiar lover. The blank page, the canvas, the crowd, the decks... whatever it is that they do. However else they null the pain, and regardless of how they end up, the artist chooses the art again and again because there's something special about it just for them.
Of course, this isn't to say that all artists or athletes are tortured. In some way, we’re all the creators and doers, performers and lovers. We all don't have to starve to make something magical of our lives. Nor must we see the idea of "sacrifice" as something to be celebrated for what it can offer to others. Rather, let’s appreciate what it offers to ourselves in the form of clarity and enjoyment in our chosen pursuits. We're all different, being the best at one thing, doesn’t make you better at being human. Offering up your time and spirit to something can be a beautiful choice that belongs to you alone. Because it's irrelevant how good you are in the grand scheme of things. What you don't or can't do isn't a burden; it's a blessing because it frees you up for what you can do. And that's quite a gift that’s the very opposite of suffering.
Great quote... from a deeply unhappy woman. What can we learn?