loyalty: faithfulness to commitments or obligations
Loyalty - as defined above - has always been a bedrock value for me. Unfortunately, because a secondary definition - faithful adherence to a sovereign, a government, cause, or the like - has taken hold in our contentious national conversation, loyalty has now joined a long-running list of words that can haunt me.
This is disheartening; being unfailingly loyal to friends and loved ones has long been a source of pride for me. But the toxicity recently attached to loyalty has infected me. How to begin reclaiming the word without aligning myself with a concept like taking a loyalty oath? Trying to ensure faithful adherence to a person - vs. being committed to uphold the laws of our land - is a distortion of this sacred value. Keeping commitments and fulfilling obligations are words to live by. A loyalty oath unconnected to the Constitution is antithetical to our democracy.
Ever felt a connection to someone you don't know well based simply on your sense that the person is fiercely loyal? I have. But the variety of loyalty that draws me toward someone has little to do with their faithful adherence to a sovereign, a government, cause, or the like. I'm drawn to those who are loyal to friends and loved ones. In my experience, loyalty is not something easily faked. Chronically disloyal people? Easy to spot; they reveal themselves by deed, oath or not.
I concur. It shows how a word can have more than one meaning. My Mom always said I was a loyal person. Luckily she meant the first definition of loyalty. What is going on in this country is not only disheartening, it is frightening.
ReplyDeleteInes; Thanks for the comment and concurrence. I'm a little frightened as well but I'm trying to counteract my fear with activism. All I can do.
DeleteHey Pat. It is sad that something such as loyalty has taken on such a negative connotation due to the current state of the country. I would say that 'Blind' loyalty would better sum up what is happening, but that also takes away from the positive feeling one should expect when hearing that phrase. As difficult as it has been, and will be for a while, I remain committed to the positive aspects of these terms.
ReplyDeleteBe well,
Bob
Hey Bob; Thanks for the thoughtful comment and the positive outlook. We need that nowadays.
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