Loyalty
From 16Guidelines
What is Loyalty?
We all want to be accepted for who we are and loyalty forms the glue which binds families and friendships together. Where there is no sense of loyalty we feel anxious, insecure and isolated. We feel loyal to those close to us, and logically we want them to be loyal to us. Being reliable and dependable ensures our friends and loved ones know we can be counted on. We show a steadfastness to loved ones and friends which ensures they feel secure, and allows them to be themselves.
Loyalty to people is about acceptance and respect and loyalty to ideas is about principles. It is worth considering, however, how blind loyalty can be destructive. Wisdom is required as an umbrella over loyalty (as with all the other guidelines) to ensure our loyalties promote positive and compassionate ends.
We have loyalty to the 'groups' which we belong to and engage in. This can strengthen the bonds within, but it also creates division when you encounter someone outside the 'group'. Imagine if our loyalty were able to extend further than a 'group', out into the wider world. If we showed support to people because we were loyal to our shared humanity, to the simple fact that we all need acceptance and love.
Quotes
"To live the full life, one must have the courage to bear responsibility for the need of others."
- Aung San Suu Kyi
"Loyalty is the pledge of truth to oneself and others"
- Ada Velez-Boardley
"Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down.
Respect for one's superiors; care for one's crew."
- Grace Murray Hopper
"Our loyalties must transend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective."
- Martin Luther King
"Our loyalties must transend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective."
- Josiah Royce
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