How Sacrifice Improves Nations and People

 How Sacrifice Improves Nations and People

Among many factors, capitalism is believed to have brought about the first and second world wars—the most deadly wars in modern history. But in the first world war, Soviet Union had no idea of any of the war’s consequences, when compared with the rest of Europe. This was due to its rapid industrialization. Stalin, in Moscow on February 9, 1946, made a remarkable speech. In his speech, he called for equally arduous ‘sacrifices’ on the part of the Soviet People to recover from the damage the last war had effected, and to prepare for the next war that the contradictions of capitalism were sure to bring about. 

Aside from the 400 years of struggle and sacrifice men and women exerted in the present day South Africa, let’s look at a recent history compared to the aforementioned centuries; in 1907 the idea of the creation of African National Congress came—the oldest political organization on the continent. This idea and the struggle that ensued were fueled by the ostensible spirit of sacrifice. 

If we go back through history, our forebears had this sense of sacrifice: the interactions between whites and people like Jaja of Opobo; the works of men who had hearts of stone like George Goldie against our very own people; the oppression of Royal Niger Company; the South-West Invasion; the invasion of Benin, the Northern invasion; the South-East invasion; the Northern resistance; the Women’s Wars, and many—all these were sacrifices made by our ancestors to keep our lands, people , traditions and aspirations safe and secure. They were sacrificing! 

The average Nigerian doesn’t know these. And we must know. We lack the sense of sacrifice our ancestors so cherished. Let’s be sacrificing for the sake of the nation and the posterity.