Loyalty is a
commendable human trait. It shows how pure we are from inside
and how much we detest double standards. We have to be loyal
to our creator and loyal to our fellow brethren. In animals,
loyalty of the dog and the horse to human beings are shining
examples of how a lower life form dedicates itself to someone
who rears and nurtures it.
Loyalty to the
creator means that we remain true to our commitment made with
Him. We serve and worship Him alone and do not associate
partners with Him. Both in hope and despair, we should always
call upon Him and not become superstitious.
Loyalty to our
fellow brethren means that we are true well-wishers of people,
especially those around us. In their matter, the biggest test
of loyalty is we uphold the voice of our conscience. If we
think that someone close to us is doing wrong and we are in a
position to point this out and correct him, loyalty demands
that we should muster this courage and inform that person of
our views. This is a trial we must always be ready to face.
Telling our near and dear ones of their shortcomings is not
always easy and one tends to shy away especially if the person
is an elder who one dearly respects. A worse form of this is
that instead of conveying our grievances to that person, we
end up discussing them with unrelated individuals. This is
against our loyalty to that person.
Following the
rule of law is part of our loyalty to the country that we live
in. Any slackness in this regard is a stigma on this sacred
bond that we have with it as its citizens. Loyalty demands
that we have respect for laws enacted by a country by
following them. This of course means that we can criticize
these laws if we do not agree with them but this should not
mean that we should not comply with them.
Moreover,
loyalty to one’s clan or tribe should not mean that we accept
its stance for the sake of it even though it may be against
justice and fairness. This is a wrong connotation of loyalty
and produces bias and bigotry. Our loyalty to the truth should
be stronger than our loyalty to any cause or clan.
It can thus be
seen that loyalty begins with a person’s strong regard for his
own conscience and ends with expressing its dictates in a
fearless yet sympathetic manner.
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