unselfish love vs. sacrificial love (was: Harry's protection)

[amgolden22]

No: HPFGUIDX 113110


> > SSSusan:
> > Maybe SL really *is* the only purely unselfish kind of love?  I 
> mean, 
> > Harry sacrificing himself & dying out of love *would* be 
unselfish, 
> > wouldn't it?  What could he possibly get from it??

Phabala:
Well, he gets the freedom of knowing that he did everything he 
possibly could to help the people he loves.  And for Harry, if he 
were unable to help people ("save" people, some might say) it would 
probably torture him.

I think the word "sacrifice" itself is important here--it implies 
that someone is giving up something that's very important to them 
for the sake of another person, simply because he loves them.  But 
that still doesn't mean it's completely altruistic, as in the Harry 
example.  With Lily, however, she didn't know that her sacrifice 
would do what it did.  She put herself in front of her child out of 
sheer desire not to see him hurt. 

Then again, maybe she did know, and it was all a big conspiracy... 
but probably not.

-Phabala