The Nature of Sacrifice II: Letting Go
If there is sacrifice, it is sometimes framed not as a loss of personal time but as an inability to exert influence over the nonprofit organization they are serving. Senior sages realize at some point that they need to step back and let others assume formal leadership roles. They learn they have to “let go,” much as they had to do with their own children earlier in their lives. As grandparents, senior sage leaders can play with their grandchildren without having full responsibility for them. Similarly, senior sages can often participate actively in an organization without having to take full responsibility for its welfare—at least not to the extent if they were employed there full-time.
Alternatively, senior sages sometimes find they can’t let go because their favored organization is in crisis. Their inner standards won’t allow them to abandon the organization and their commitment to its welfare; they feel they have to remain actively involved, and often in its troubling minutia as well. This can lead to a real sense of sacrifice in the loss of family time and an increase in personal stress. As in the case of grandparents who find themselves in the difficult position of having to become parents to their grandchildren, senior sage leaders often find themselves in the untenable position of assuming full responsibility for the continuing existence of their favored nonprofit organization. Yet, they chose to do so because it is part of who they are as senior sages.
The Nature of Sacrifice III: Myth and Reality
Often it is people who are not engaged who perceive civic involvements as requiring great personal sacrifice. Such men and women may remain disengaged precisely because they don’t recognize that this type of “work” can be rewarding and a source of energy rather than a drain. If they do get involved in civic activities, it is sometimes out of a sense of duty or civic obligation, in which case there is often resentment—or their commitment is half-hearted and short-lived. This type of involvement is not healthy for the organization or for the person who is driven by “should” rather than a search for meaning work and joyful engagement with others.
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