Watching “The Courier” made me wonder if the sacrifice is really worth the reward?

As a T-Mobile customer, I am one of millions that has access to their weekly T-Mobile Tuesdays rewards service. This past week, my boyfriend and I used this week’s Redbox offer to rent “The Courier”. At first glance, the film appears to be run-of-the-mill historical drama surrounding a power struggle between the United States and Russia.

In reality, the film delves deeper into the power struggle between the US and Russia during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The film follows a British businessman, Greville Wynne, played by Benedict Cumberbatch as he’s recruited by the United States’ CIA and United Kingdom’s MI6 to carry confidential Soviet nuclear intel provided by a Soviet officer hoping to avoid a nuclear war.

While we watched the film, we knew instantly that the film was going to reach a peak where one of the parties would be caught by the Soviets. Besides the typical cinematic climax, there was the realization of how much Wynne had to lose if he were caught.

This planted a seed of thought. While Wynne continued to cross the border, he risked his life, his family, and the safety of all of the parties involved. And when the inevitable capture happened, was the sacrifice worth the reward?

I honestly say that I believe that Wynne and the Soviet officer believed their sacrifice was completely worth all they had been through. The torture, fear and neglect they endured could be stomached after realizing that millions were saved once the confrontation had ended.

While it isn’t my place to judge whether anyone’s sacrifice is worth the reward, it makes me think about the little sacrifices we individually make every single day. And whether we can stand by those sacrifices as confidently as Wynne did.

As a passive person, this really made the wheels in my head spin like crazy. I don’t usually think twice before making my own personal sacrifice for the wellness of others. I’ve been blessed tenfold in my life and a piece of me finds peace in being able to give my time, attention or even mental clarity. But have those sacrifices been worth it in the long run? I honestly can’t say. There are so many factors and stipulations that tilt the balance of what my reward is. And sometimes I wish I had refrained from making some of those sacrifices as I journey into my adulthood and even my womanhood.

The word “sacrifice” is a heavy one to unpack in the span of 200 words, but it’s one we encounter every day. We sacrifice for our loved ones, our jobs, our mental peace, our time and sometimes our integrity. Is it really worth it?