My Reflections on Self-Sacrifice

Topic: My Reflections on Self-Sacrifice

My Thoughts on Self-Sacrifice

I. Outline of My Thoughts on Self-Sacrifice.

1. Introduction

- Our Vietnam boasts many cherished traditions such as filial piety, gratitude, patriotism,...
- Self-sacrifice is also one of these admirable traditions.

2. Body of the Essay

- Concept of self-sacrifice:
+ It is an intrinsic feeling within every individual, profoundly noble and beautiful, yet not everyone possesses the faith and tolerance to achieve such sacrifice.
+ Willingly trading personal benefits and happiness for the greater good of others.

>> See detailed outline of thoughts on self-sacrifice here

II. Sample essay: My Reflections on Self-Sacrifice.

Vietnam, our country, possesses many distinctive cultural traits, alongside cherished traditions passed down through millennia such as filial piety, gratitude, deep patriotism, and national unity. Self-sacrifice is one of these cherished traditions, esteemed by our people and consistently imparted to our descendants as a foremost moral lesson.

So the first question arises: What is self-sacrifice? In the realm of ethics and morality, self-sacrifice is an intrinsic feeling within every individual, profoundly noble and beautiful, yet not everyone possesses the faith and tolerance to achieve such a sacrifice. In contemporary society, when we speak of sacrifice, we often think of sacrificing for family, then for the collective, and ultimately for the nation whenever the country calls. That sacrifice is a voluntary willingness to trade personal benefits and happiness for the greater good of others, and those who possess such sacrifice often feel proud and joyful for what they have given, as it is what they desire, willingly without expecting anything in return. That is the lofty and admirable self-sacrifice, worthy of the utmost respect. We must also differentiate that the sacrifice here is sacrificing what belongs to us based on voluntary spirit, not sacrificing the interests of others for improper purposes, seeking personal gain, that is, the sacrifice is not sacrifice.

Throughout our history, Vietnam has provided many great examples and lessons of profound self-sacrifice. Firstly, there is President Ho Chi Minh, the great leader of the nation, who devoted all 79 springs of his life to Vietnam, his country. Even in his will, he expressed only concern for the country and the unfinished revolutionary cause. When mentioning Uncle Ho, people often recall a lofty style, a noble spirit of sacrifice, a politician, and above all, a deeply patriotic citizen, determined to devote everything to the independence of the nation. During the war, there were heroic individuals who left their families and hometowns to fight without knowing when they would return, all bound by an ironclad oath, 'Resolve to die for the nation's salvation.' Quang Dung wrote, 'Sparsely scattering tombstones on distant borders / Battlefields go forth without regretting green life' in the poem Tay Tien, to show us the noble and magnificent spirit of sacrifice of the previous generations. Their lives, their blood devoted entirely to the homeland and the nation, oh, how precious and proud it is, communist soldiers! Those are the individuals who stepped onto the frontlines to fight the enemy, while in the rear, there were countless mothers waiting for their sons, seeing them off to the battlefield without seeing them return. The songwriter Ngoc Son wrote in the song Mother's Heart 2: 'Old mother waits, counting falling leaves. Counting how many leaves until her child returns.' to show the deep, heart-wrenching pain in every mother's heart. That is the silent sacrifice of Vietnamese women during the years the country was engulfed in the flames of war. One time, I heard a heroic Vietnamese mother recounting: 'Back then, I bid farewell to my husband to the battlefield, and then he sacrificed himself. I raised 8 young children alone, and when they grew up, they all went to the battlefield. Mother felt so sorry, but the country needed them, so I let them go to save the country, then they never came back...'. Listening to her story, I see how heroic Vietnamese women are, how great their sacrifice is. Even today, although the war has passed, the self-sacrifice of the Vietnamese people has never changed. To safeguard the peace of the homeland, every day there are soldiers, police officers, especially soldiers in the island regions, border areas, taking turns day and night to stand guard, sacrificing health, sleep, sacrificing time with their families to fulfill their duties to the nation and the people.

Sacrifice is one of the noble qualities of the Vietnamese people. Explore more of the valuable traits of the Vietnamese people, you can refer to: Social discourse on the virtue of diligence, Social discourse on the virtue of humility, Social discourse on filial piety, Social discourse on independence.