We become acquainted with the sacrifices of our parents through their stories, and each generation seems to redefine the concept. My parents were born between 1901 and 1925, the “Greatest Generation”.1Pew Research Center. 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/demographic-research/definitions/. Accessed August 7, 2020.Google Scholar They had survived the Great Depression and the Nazi occupation of their country, the Netherlands, in large part by inestimable sacrifice. During the famine that spanned the harsh winter of 1944–1945, my mother and her sister walked with an empty baby carriage some 90 kilometers to a farm where they filled the carriage up with food for their family and then walked home again. This was a dangerous undertaking for 2 young women during wartime, but their older brothers had been taken into forced labor in Germany, so it was up to them. What is germane about this story is that neither of them considered this trek a sacrifice. It was simply what one did. That may be, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a sacrifice, which is defined as forgoing something so that another might benefit. Much is made of the sacrifice inherent in nursing. As a nurse born between 1946 and 1964, a “baby boomer”,1Pew Research Center. 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/demographic-research/definitions/. Accessed August 7, 2020.Google Scholar I feel as my mother and aunt did: it is what one does. Nursing doesn’t particularly feel like a sacrifice, though maybe it is. But does our inclination to sacrifice also hold true for society? Do we as a society still value sacrifice, and know how to sacrifice, in the 21st century? I’m grateful for the perspectives of 2 friends and colleagues on the topic of sacrifice as this remarkable year comes to a close. –Donald GardenierYESRobert MetzgerRobert Metzger, DNP, FNP-BC, is advanced practice provider manager of surgical services for the Parkland Orthopaedics spine service at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, TX. He is also adjunct faculty at Texas Woman’s University College of Nursing in Dallas, where he earned his doctorate of nursing practice. Dr Metzger regularly lectures on spine care and he has published in both the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Journal for Nurse Practitioners. He is past president and legacy member of Texas Nurse Practitioners, chairs the nomination council of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and is administrator for North Texas Nurse Practitioners. Dr Metzger is an alumnus of the AANP Leadership program. He was born between 1965 and 1980 (“generation X”).1Pew Research Center. 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/demographic-research/definitions/. Accessed August 7, 2020.Google Scholar Robert Metzger, DNP, FNP-BC, is advanced practice provider manager of surgical services for the Parkland Orthopaedics spine service at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, TX. He is also adjunct faculty at Texas Woman’s University College of Nursing in Dallas, where he earned his doctorate of nursing practice. Dr Metzger regularly lectures on spine care and he has published in both the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Journal for Nurse Practitioners. He is past president and legacy member of Texas Nurse Practitioners, chairs the nomination council of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and is administrator for North Texas Nurse Practitioners. Dr Metzger is an alumnus of the AANP Leadership program. He was born between 1965 and 1980 (“generation X”).1Pew Research Center. 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/demographic-research/definitions/. Accessed August 7, 2020.Google Scholar Similar to prior generations, those born between 1981 and 1996 (“millennials”) and those born since then (“generation Z”)1Pew Research Center. 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/demographic-research/definitions/. Accessed August 7, 2020.Google Scholar make sacrifices that are oftentimes overlooked. Although criticized for their work ethic, employment has been a large sacrifice. Despite being college educated, many are unable to find work within their fields. The higher paying jobs for which they are prepared are often unavailable. If they can find these positions, many are underpaid or lack benefits. Therefore, they seek work in other fields that may or may not require a college education. They also tend to live at home with their parents longer. They might rather be on their own, but many cannot afford today’s housing prices. Others are unwilling to live above their means or take on additional debt. This is due to rising unemployment rates, but more importantly to watching their parents survive the recession. Younger generations are actually more giving in several ways. Many believe in social causes and are willing to donate their money and time. Diversity and inclusion are key for these generations. They believe strongly that everyone should be treated fairly and avidly support causes that target racism, sexism, and homophobia. Additionally, they fight to protect the environment even as their elders are still debating whether global warming is even happening. Through increased use of ride sharing and not owning personal vehicles, they sacrifice to improve the climate. Socially, compared with past generations, they are less likely to drink, smoke, and take drugs, which demonstrates sacrifices toward a healthier lifestyle, which will reduce future health care costs. They also eat out less compared with older generations when they were their age. The COVID pandemic has made us all sacrifice. Unfortunately, the younger generations were unable to have proms, graduations, and even marriage celebrations. These societal rites of passage are important milestones in an individual’s development and assist in personal reflection later in life. Along with the rest of us, they have had to socially distance and have been unable to spend time with their friends or date. Although modern technology allows us to communicate and even see each other, it cannot replace human interaction and contact. It is clear to see that every generation makes its own sacrifices. The important thing for all of us to do is take the time to evaluate and not judge an entire generation on a few outliers.NOBy Susan ApoldSusan Apold, PhD, ANP-BC, GNP, FAAN, FAANP, is dean of nursing at Iona College and maintains a primary care practice in New Rochelle, NY. She is a 2-time past president of both the American College of Nurse Practitioners and the Nurse Practitioner Association New York State. She served on the inaugural board of AANP, and developed and implemented AANP’s first leadership program. She has published and speaks nationally on a wide variety of topics. She also consults with nurses and institutions on program development, quality improvement, leadership, and career advancement. Dr Apold is an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship. Susan Apold, PhD, ANP-BC, GNP, FAAN, FAANP, is dean of nursing at Iona College and maintains a primary care practice in New Rochelle, NY. She is a 2-time past president of both the American College of Nurse Practitioners and the Nurse Practitioner Association New York State. She served on the inaugural board of AANP, and developed and implemented AANP’s first leadership program. She has published and speaks nationally on a wide variety of topics. She also consults with nurses and institutions on program development, quality improvement, leadership, and career advancement. Dr Apold is an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship. Health care heroes and the banging of pots and pans. Dukes and earls and politicians and people who otherwise would neither see nor hear nurses now stand on their sidewalks and balconies to give standing ovations. Those angels of mercy, those selfless souls, those men and women who perform the vital, intimate, messy, obscene tasks of keeping people alive and helping them die. As a nurse of the baby boomer generation, I am well acquainted with the imperative for us to give of ourselves, to sacrifice our energy, time, and family lives, to subjugate our emotional and physiologic needs as we tend to those same issues in our patients. I believe that we were particularly good at it. We are proud of the amount and depth of our sacrifices. We demonstrate our caring by the number of bathroom breaks not taken, the amount of food not eaten or eaten too much, the missed family events, the searing pain in our souls from seeing too much, hearing too much, feeling too much, and suppressing the distance–connection inherent in the nurse–patient relationship until our psyches are battered. So when I look at the masks and the moon suits, I think, “Heroes? That’s what we’re supposed to do.” Until they take them off. Until I hear the fear and see the anxiety and the marks left by the mask straps. It is then that I realize that my generation of nurse sacrificers may not have done enough, because we passed on a culture of sacrifice to those nurses on the front lines who worked without personal protective equipment, adequate staffing, and proper procedures to meet the needs of their patients, once again without meeting their own needs. The merit of our work is not in its sacrifice. Subjugation of self should not be a necessary ingredient of nursing nor the hallmark of a good nurse. Did we miss an opportunity to teach and role model care of self as a central ingredient to thoughtful, evidence-based, compassionate care? Maybe. Perhaps the times are telling us that we finally need to abolish the value that the more work you can handle without keeling over, the better a nurse you are. This is my 100th “Point/Counterpoint” column as editor. I would like to acknowledge the confidence, support, and encouragement of my editors over these 10 years: Drs Marilyn Edmunds, Julee Waldrop, and Leslie Neal-Boylan. I would also like to acknowledge my predecessor, Dr Janet Selway, who recommended me to succeed her back in 2010. Most importantly, I salute the many of you who have been my authors, generously contributing your opinions and expertise over the years. The free flow of ideas is a sine qua non of our work as nurse practitioners, and whether you passed an idea along to me, responded when I called on you, or just happened to be in the right place at the right time, you are the reason this editorial public square works. For your contributions, for the work you do every day, and for your efforts to make a difference in our patients’ lives, I am deeply grateful. Section Editor Donald Gardenier works at Eisenhower Health in Palms Springs, CA, and can be reached at [email protected]