We can be on a road to achieve a goal, a higher purpose, a destiny we set for ourselves or believe we’re given and become blind or hardened towards the damage and cost it comes with.
Thanos’ in the Avengers series believed it was his destiny to destroy half of the universe, so that balance would be restored. He called this ‘mercy’. Driven to achieve his goal, he would torture one of his adopted daughters (Nebula), and kill his other adopted daughter (Gamora); the one he loved most – so he could possess the Soul Stone. Another step completed towards getting all of the Mind Stones needed for his mission. But it came with a high cost! Let alone destroying half the universe eventually and all the fights leading towards that event. Was it really worth it? Achieving his higher purpose at the cost of so many things?
If you also find yourself relentlessly pursuing a goal or destiny, you could ask yourself the same question. Does it come at the cost of yourself (health, time, sanity..) maybe, your environment, or relationships with the ones that are precious to you?
For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
