Loyalty

Are you a loyal person? I bet you’d be quick to respond, “Yes! I’m down for my friends and family, no matter what”. Well, what if that “no matter” was the difference between your freedom, your comfort, your peace, your justice : you probably would back down to conserve for yourself. Is that wrong? I believe that loyalty toward others is subjective. There are some people we are just more willing to go out on a limb for. Some of us claim to be loyal but, when the opportunity presents itself, are we really? We offer the politically correct response when we know deep inside that we choose what serves us and our personal interests first.

No doubt, we may have strong feelings and emotions toward family and friends but the true test of our loyalty comes from being able to put the needs of others ahead of our own. Loyalty is demonstrated when you can serve someone else without fear of where and how your needs will be met; when you can say yes to helping another person-even when your resources are low; when you can stand beside someone when the world wants to throw rocks; when you can vouch for someone when everyone else wants to walk away. What is your true measure of loyalty?

It is very easy for people to exploit others; especially in times of uncertainty. It is more difficult to protect and be loyal to others. So, when asked, “are we loyal”; the answer is yes-we know how to be loyal. We are most loyal to ourselves. I have come to realize that loyalty is something most people can not demonstrate because self perseverance is a more powerful instinct. The ability to put others before yourself is transcendent; quite frankly, most folk ain’t really there yet. Loyalty isn’t impossible to achieve. It can happen when we subtract selfishness and add selflessness to our lives. That is when we can truly claim to be loyal.