They Will Call Us Selfish
A Story about Sacrifice
“We will take all of the pain, and none of the reward. We will be the ones to fall on the sword.”
“That’s poetic.”
“It’s true.”
“Sigh. I know.”
“And for our sacrifice, we will be castigated. We will do what needed to be done, but we will be told that we are the selfish ones. We will ask nothing – nothing at all – in recompense for our sacrifice. We will expect nothing for there will be nothing for us. We will ask nothing – period. And they will call us the selfish ones.”
“Surely people will be swayed once they see the enormity of our sacrifice. You don’t think they’ll feel differently?”
“They won’t. We will do what our heroes couldn’t do. We will do what our fathers could see needed to be done and yet didn’t have the strength to do. And for that, we will be excoriated.”
“Why?”