1 / 30

Sacrifice

Sacrifice. A gift is a gift of integrity When it is given at the right place and time to the proper person, To one who cannot be expected to return the gift— And given merely because it should be given. But what is given to get a gift in return, Or for the sake of some result,

violet
Download Presentation

Sacrifice

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Sacrifice

  2. A gift is a gift of integrity When it is given at the right place and time to the proper person, To one who cannot be expected to return the gift— And given merely because it should be given. But what is given to get a gift in return, Or for the sake of some result, Or unwillingly, That is the gift in the sphere of passion. A gift is called slothful when it is given Not at the right time and place, Not to a worthy person, Nor with proper ceremony, but with contempt. Bhagavad Gita 17.20-22

  3. “Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” • --Genesis 8:20-22

  4. Schopenhauer’s “Metaphysical Realization” • You and the other are ONE.

  5. Symbiosis

  6. Fair play • Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory. • Scientists studied reaction of chimps to unfair situations. Observed how paired animals behaved when one was given an inferior food award for doing the same amount of work. • Chimps in a close relationship tended to ignore the injustice. But those who knew each other less well refused to cooperate after they had been short-changed, a reaction also found in humans. The wronged chimps would either refuse to continue to work or wouldn’t eat the food they were given.

  7. Nepotistic altrusim • Since relatives share genes, any gene that inclines an organism toward helping a relative will increase the chance of survival of a copy of itself that sits inside that relative, even if the helper sacrifices its own fitness in the generous act. • Love everyone equally? The burning building dilemma

  8. Jane Goodall: • “In chimpanzee society, although most risk-taking is on behalf of family members, there are examples of individuals risking injury if not their lives to help non-related companions. Evered once risked the fury of adult male baboons to rescue adolescent Mustard, pinned down and screaming, during a baboon hunt. And when Freud was seized during a bushpig hunt by an enraged sow, Gigi risked her life to save him. The pig had seized him from behind, and Freud, dropping his piglet, was screaming and struggling to escape, when Gigi raced up, hair bristling. The sow wheeled to charge Gigi, and Freud, bleeding heavily, was able to escape up a tree.” (“Through A Window, pg. 213)

  9. Reciprocal altruism • Yeroen, Nikkie, and Luit at the Arnhem Zoo in the Netherlands. • The trading of favors … keeping score. No such thing as a free lunch. • Parties must recognize each other, interact repeatedly. • Large benefit to someone else; small cost to you.

  10. Kitty Genovese • March 13, 1964 • Queens, NY • 3:30 a.m. • Stabbed 17 times • 38 people witnessed

  11. Odds of helping best when: • We have just observed someone else being helpful. • We are not in a hurry. • The victim appears to be in need and deserves help. • The victim is in some way similar to ourselves. • We are in a small town or rural area. • We are feeling guilty. • We are focused on others and not preoccupied. • We are in a good mood.

  12. Reciprocal Altruism in humans • Basis for the “moralistic” emotions • Cooperators do better than hermits and misanthropes; trading surpluses. • A story of seminarians

  13. Development of morals • Sympathy and trust prompt people to exchange the first favor. • Gratitude and loyalty prompt people to repay favors. • Guilt and shame deter people from hurting or failing to repay others. • Anger and contempt prompt people to punish cheaters. • Havens for cheaters to prosper…

  14. A little “Rain Man” in all of us! • Gossip • Reputation • Appearances • Remembering slights … getting on someone’s “bad side” or on the “bad list.” • Punishment … Exclusion from social interaction.

  15. “The Voice in the Thunder” • Jean-Baptiste De Vico (1668-1744) • First experience of the divine power … overwhelming power of Nature … sublime.

  16. The Power of Nature • Floods • Tsunamis • Drought • Tornados • Plagues • Sickness • Insects • Earthquakes • Eclipses • War

  17. Appeasement

  18. Appease the gods

  19. The “Bog People”

  20. The sacrifice of Isaac • “Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God.” • --Genesis 22:10-12

  21. The sacrifice of Iphigenia

  22. The Eleusinian Mysteries • Pig sacrifice • Bathing in the sea • Fasting (purification) • Drinking the kykeon • Handling ritual objects • “The confession is not a confession of dogma or even of faith, but an avowal of ritual acts performed.” (Jane Ellen Harrison, PROLEGOMENA TO THE STUDY OF GREEK RELIGION, pg. 156)

  23. Dionysus • Son of the thunder god (Zeus) and earth goddess (Semele). • God of the vine, inventor of wine. • Ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father, Zeus. • Drinking the wine – possessed by the god – a “divine madness.” • The drama • The dead and resurrected god. A tree grew from where his blood had been spilled.

  24. Prometheus • “Therefore let lightning leap with smoke and flame, And all that is be beat and tossed together, With whirl of feathery snowflakes and loud crack Of subterranean thunder; none of these Shall bend my will!” • Contrast with Job.

  25. Christ Crucified • Paul to the Philippians: "Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being originally in the form of God counted it not a thing to be clung to to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, becoming in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross." Phil. 2:5-8 • Atonement • At-ONE-ment

More Related