Loyalty

Loyalty. The idea means a lot to me but is lost on many. Why is it so important? It’s only truly tested a few times. Well...I suppose if you think about it, it’s actually tested all the time, every day, every second. We all have people, or even things, or other ideas, that we dedicate loyalty to. It’s in our nature to choose, but not always to, so clearly, identify these things. 

Once, I heard someone say that “loyalty is what you get when you give someone something they can never repay.” That really broke my heart. On one hand, I guess that’s a lot of people’s idea of what it means. On the other hand, it’s a little sad to think that that’s what is required in order to receive it.  

I believe that loyalty is a choice. It’s not a right; it’s a privilege one receives for as long as it’s given. Who or what you give your loyalty to earns it in some way. Maybe that’s why it seems, to some, that it needs to be earned through gift-giving (of the theoretical sense). But in the case of a parent to their children, or siblings to one another, or pets to their owners, it seems like it’s inherent. (Usually it does.)

I think that loyalty is best given through time. Anyone or anything that stands that test, deserves my undying loyalty.