For people who grew up with responsibilities on their shoulders, they've learned to love more, sacrificing their happiness for the sake of others. Nothing is wrong with sacrifice and loving others; however, when we keep neglecting our well-being, we tend to suffer more harm than good. Sometimes we have to put ourselves first, not because we are selfish, but because we deserve an equal amount of love that we give out. While we tend to do good, we should always remember that we deserve love in equal measure, and it's our responsibility to love ourselves, not another.
Sacrifice is good, just as self-love is, but whenever any of these is causing harm to another, it becomes bad. Someone who wants everything for himself is considered greedy, and someone who sacrifices too much suffers from lack of self-love—a balance is what keeps it right. A friend during NYSC pretended to always suffer lack with touching stories that made her friends go out of their way to ensure she was living fine. Secretly, she was saving her allowance for business while eating from that of her friends. She claimed to be wise and loving herself while draining the other people who were unable to save because they carried her burden along with theirs.
Unfortunately, they realized this a few weeks before their passing-out parade when her account could no longer carry money beyond what she had saved, bouncing back each time. To her, she was being smart and loving herself by keeping her money; the others who sacrificed felt they were doing the greater good only to realize they were robbed of saving while sacrificing for someone who was in the same situation as theirs. The lady's action shows the power of over-self-love, and on the other side, the other ladies suffered lack because they kept sacrificing for someone who couldn't see their good act. In a world where people care only about themselves, keeping a balance between self-love and sacrifice is very crucial.
Image generated using Gemini AI
The easiest way to keep a balance between self-love and sacrifice is knowing your limit. First, learn to love yourself by doing those little things that your heart desires and sacrificing only for the right reasons. As long as it inconveniences you or denies you certain good for yourself, then you don't have to do it. Love yourself first; only then would you know how well to love another. Charity begins with you, not with another. If it starts from the outside, you may never get someone to love you. For others to love you, you'll first show them how to love you, and that's by loving yourself first.
Posted Using INLEO
