Just as respect begets respect, ergo loyalty.
What is loyalty?
What are the characteristics of loyal people?
Does Loyalty translate to gullibility or stupidity?
Loyalty Defined
“`Loyalty is remaining faithful and true to something, belief or norm, whether it’s your word, a promise or a person . Loyalty is unconditional love and attachment to an individual.“`
Who are Loyal People?
Loyal people move the earth for the people they are loyal to. They do anything for them: spend time, money and effort for them. They help them in times of hardship and do not forget them during calamities. They correct them when they err. They stick by their side when everyone else abandons them. They remain present in good and bad times, luxury and poverty, health and sickness and they never deviate from their point of agreement.
Characteristics of Loyal People
Loyal people are people of integrity and loyal to everyone close to them. Loyal people never forget the good that others have done to them.
Above that, it’s pertinent to say that a loyal person is loyal first and foremost to God. He never forgets God, his Creator and Sustainer, no matter what he goes through in life. A loyal person is also loyal to those close to him, such as his family and close friends and servants. Someone who is not loyal to his own family can never be truly loyal to anyone else. He may show signs of loyalty, but it is fake, not genuine.
More on Loyalty and Loyal People.
In his book, “ _The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People_ ” Stephen Covey uses the concept of an “emotional bank account” to describe the relationship between any two individuals, whether familiar, romantic, friendship or other. The higher the balance of the emotional bank account, the better the state of the relationship and loyalty of the individuals towards each other. Like any bank account, you can make deposits to and withdrawals from the account.
Further, Covey describes how the biggest deposit to the account (and the biggest proof of loyalty) is made by giving time to the other person. Time is the most valuable resource that we possess. It is more valuable than money. Money goes up and down but time is finite. So rich, busy parents can never compensate their children for not spending time with them by buying expensive ‘guilt gifts’ for them.
Whenever we give some of our time to someone, be it by a phone call or email, we make a deposit into the emotional bank account. Other deposits are made by way of gifts, anything good that we do to the other person, being there for them in times of distress, listening to them and apologising when we make mistakes.
In the same way, when we do any wrong to that person or commit blunders we make a withdrawal from the emotional bank account. Covey described that the biggest withdrawal we can make from this account is to when we fail to fulfil a promise or honour a commitment we made to the other person.Failing to keep to our word shows the other person that they are not worthy of our time or energy.
Virtues of Loyalty.
Being loyal to one’s word is a characteristic of every great person. Even in prison (Now Correctional Home) there is this thing called your “word.” You are nothing without your word. Conflicts, business and agreements are made with a handshake sealed by your word. If you go back on your word, your worth as a person ends. It is better for a person to give up his life, his wealth and his time than to go back on his word.
If the emotional bank account balance is high, it can withstand withdrawals but only up to a point. At some point, we can withdraw so much from an account without realising it that we can fall into the red (overdrawn) or become bankrupt, thus destroying the relationship.
Synopsis :
What most people tagged loyalty today is seen from a one-way perspective. For instance: from Servants/Followers to Boss all day but grossly forgotten the the Boss also owe the servants/followers a dutiful loyalty.
Once the servants/followers are not testing their Bosses loyalty with betrayals and insurrections, the Bosses have no moral justification to test their follower’s loyalty with hunger, deprivation, neglect, abandonment and autocracy.
In an attempt to compromise this simple and singular rule of sticking to each person’s roles and responsibilities in a relationship built on loyalty, the relationship will be severed and the house crumbled while the parties involved will as well share the blame equally.
