Points to Ponder — Page 33
— 33 Sacrifice When an effort is made in the cause of the community, it is not necessary that a pe rson’s sacrifice may bear fruit in his lifetime. It is possible that many make sacrifices without seeing any results, and some others may make sacrifices and see the results. The results of national striving should not be seen at an individual level. The nations, who learn this lesson, continue seeing celebration after celebration. But the nations who forget this lesson can never succeed in their objectives. During the early days of the war between Germany and England, I read in a newspaper that the only son of an eighty years old lady died in the war. The lady was of a good stature so the government thought of consoling her. She received a letter from the war minister inviting her to see him. It was decided that the war minister himself would honor her and convey the news of the death of her son. The lady came, and the war minister thanked her on behalf of the king, and said, “You have presented the highest sacrifice for your country. Alas, your son has been killed in t he war. ” As the lady emerged after listening to the news, her body was shaking with sorrow. It was difficult for her to