It inspires, multiplying itself through the human spirit. You can tell whether it is there in the center of things by seeing how the old, the poor, and the helpless are treated on the edge of things. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. Sacrifice, on the other hand, is the destruction of non-renewable human resources. Whether it involves a ritual or punitive act, wanton indifference to the hopes and livelihood of others, or something self-destructive, sacrifice is the essence of the oppressive spirit in the world.
Oppressive people sacrifice others.
People who have internalized oppression sacrifice themselves as well as others. Sacrifice reproduces itself in grim succession. In our isolated society, much of the human sacrifice is so systematic that it is invisible . Sacrifice is so built into the systems of the world that many of us are almost forced to take for granted the sacrifice of others for our own benefit. The isolation of social classes, the tremendous disparities of wealth by nation and continent, and the distortions endemic to racial and cultural differences all blind us to the great sacrifices which we readily displace on others.