Loyalty

One of the most fundamental virtues I treasure in people is loyalty, which I myself try to practise.The longer I live, the more I see loyalty missing in the character make-up of most people. Today, being loyal is not a component of who most people are-people are more often than not ; fine weather friends, lovers. This has become a contributing factor in the changing priorities of the 21^st Century.

Now-times are harder and it is a dog eat dog world out there, but certain virtues of being human should remain sacred-that one being loyalty.  Often we are faced with  tremendous test of our loyalty to someone we care for –love, be that family or a lover.-The out come is stated in one word ”love”more so what the Greeks called "agape, a universal love-not romantic love. Will you still honor them, be loyal to them, even if they are trying to do you harm? Be dishonest to you? Discredit you? Leave you? Few stay loyal in these cases.-Sadly, this type of loyalty is very rare in today's world. But, one needs to remember-“what goes around comes around”. We need each other at different times-loyalty gives us courage, strength and hope that someone is sincerely on our side no matter how we screw up, act selfishly and hurt people because of our self interest.

Of course, if people aren't loyal to their loved one`s or friends, who they vowed loyalty to each other and God for life- , to their own family. We all understand that relationships change, people change, circumstances change- but loyalty should not, even if one is with a different partner or on a different path in life.

The real danger is, this lack of loyalty that exists in most people have deep , long lasting affects on one`s life, as to me it is such a loss of what was gained-and has deep roots in one`s soul. For me loyalty gives continuity to relationships, to love, to life even if our compass has changed, for whomever touched us deeply have earned our deep respect, loyalty and realization that each relationship was and is special-whether it passes or not.

I mean if you think about it, it only makes sense. If you are loyal in certain times and then later forget about it-wasn`t ; that a waste of time?   In your earthly relationships who at one point was an important influence in one`s life-that cannot be erased or changed. Once the genie is out of the bottle , it is out. Now, how then can one expect to be loyal to God in our spiritual relationship-if can`t even be in our worldly ones?

Often we  put ourselves above others when problems come up, when break up happens-but no matter how one tries to forget-it happened and through every relationship we become slightly a different person. Loyalty requires a commitment to someone or something other than ourselves-even if one`s life trajectory is completely different. The loyal person will turn up when help is need, when trouble turns up, when support is needed and that is the time when real love, real loyalty is tested. I am lucky I have have friends like that-with family is is generally normal to be loyal. It often does not costs to be loyal; but the true test of loyalty is during times of trouble.

One should never forget loyalty- for one never knows when one needs a life line, which loyalty is.