What are my emotions hooked to the word "sacrifice"? Sadness. Sadness that I've held to that belief. Sadness that billions of people have suffered pain, death and torture for it, and do so now. Sadness, gratitude and pride that nevertheless, my uncle and father have believed in it, practiced it, and suffered from it, for my benefit. They thought it was right to sacrifice for me and their country, and their families. Who am I to tell them they were wrong? They felt it was necessary, and they are entitled to that. In all humblness, I thank them each and every time I see them. And I keep to my self the deep heart rending sadness I feel, knowing that it was their belief that they should suffer untold pains in sacrifice for themselves and me.
To Them and all that came with and before them:
Thank YOU. It was not necessary, but you did it anyway.
The Ages (to me) represent different facets of perception which humans needed to experience as a whole, in our spiritual evolution. That's not to say that all members at a given time embraced the task, or even recognized or understood it, except on some unconscious level.
I have done "sacrifice", or I should say I am doing that very thing, but it's not in the way of the "martyr". It's by way of finally letting go of everything I ever thought I was supposed to yearn for here. It's not an easy or habitual thing, and it's not a sentimental thing either ..... just the opposite, really. When it is accomplished, there is no more mourning or sadness of loss -- only that sadness reverberating from infinity which DJ spoke of.