Sacrifice is giving up what is scarce to you: money when you are poor, time when you are busy, or your own safety in any circumstance. If you want to understand what someone values, look to why they sacrifice.

Consider first Senator John McCain. In 1967, as an American fighter pilot, he was shot down over a North Vietnamese lake. He broke both arms and a leg, nearly drowned, and was beaten by the locals who pulled him ashore. McCain became a prisoner of war, received little medical care, and lost 50 pounds. When his father was named commander of US forces in Vietnam, McCain’s captors offered him early release. If he accepted, he could return home, avoiding countless beatings and years of solitary confinement. Instead, McCain declined. He viewed early release as a breach of the military’s Code of Conduct, which states: “I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.”

Whatever you think of his politics, McCain’s decision to refuse early release tells us a lot about him. In an act of great sacrifice, he showed the value he places in respecting a military code to which he was bound.

I recently came across this theory of the relationship between sacrifice and values. In a podcast, economist Mike Munger evaluated an action in terms of how much it costs the actor. For example, deciding to return a found wallet demonstrates much more of what a person values if they could really benefit from the money than if they are already rich.

While McCain’s example is extreme and economic discussion is abstract, perhaps an example from my own life is more relevant and concrete. I claim to value the fight against climate change. If one demonstrates what they value through sacrifice, then I should be making significant sacrifices for our climate.

Such analysis allows us to first block out the noise. For example, I could claim I show what I value by recycling. However, using the lens of sacrifice, this action carries little moral weight. Nothing is given up in taking an extra moment to sort what you dispose of. I also virtually never take Ubers, and while I believe this does have an environmental impact, it similarly doesn’t show much of what I value. Living in New York means I sacrifice no time by instead using bike share or public transit.

Dietary restrictions represent a step up in seriousness. Committing to a plant-based diet due to the environmental impact of animal products is a significant sacrifice, as meat and dairy are enjoyable and excellent sources of nutrition. For my own account, I don’t eat beef or lamb, which I see as a meaningful restriction.

There are still larger sacrifices I could make. For the past few years, I’ve worked in business-to-business software. My job pays more money than I need for my lifestyle while still allowing me plenty of free time. From this place of comfort, I have an opportunity to align my actions with my values. Taking a pay cut to work in environmentalism would be a significant sacrifice of time and money, allowing me to further show what I value.

While this post considers my own life and environmentalism, the point is not to convince you to become a vegan or change jobs. Those are sacrifices in line with what I happen to care about, but each person has their own fight. Everyone is able to check in with what they say they care about and if what they sacrifice aligns with that. Are you giving up what is scarce to you to show what you value? Sacrifice, and show me how you really feel.

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