Loyalty is neither good or bad, all it matters is who you are loyal too

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Socreta93

Socreta93

Senior Member
Jul 28, 2015
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It is always talked about how loyalty is considered a great virtue. "Oh this person is loyal, they are a great person". Here is my thing, loyalty can be good, loyalty can be bad. It all comes down too who you are loyal too. Loyalty is only good if the person deserves that loyalty. If someone is a great person, has shown to help others, or simply a kind person then yes, being loyal to that person is a good virtue. However if your friend is known to have cheated on his wife and you cover up and lie for him, that is being loyal to your friend, that is also not loyalty that should be applauded. If you are a boss and keep employing workers who are not getting the job done as well as someone who can replace them could, employing them for any reason but most importantly because you feel a sense of loyalty to them for whatever reason, either friends, family ect... thats a not a good thing. It's hurting business and production.

My point is, people should stop using loyalty as this high virtue of character, you can be loyal towards the wrong person(s) or loyal for the wrong reasons. The only good form of loyalty is if the person on the receiving end deserves it back.
 
You change your clothes
And how you speak
You place your hope
In what they think
Before you know
There's no more you
Who are you listening to

Have you noticed how much you fear
All the voices you choose to hear?

Who are you listening to?
Who tells you what to do?
Who rules your thoughts at night?
Whose rules define your life?
Oh, you know it's up to you
So, who are you listening to?

- Ginny Owens
 
OP is fair enough; although I suppose someone who has a weak grasp of loyalty and uses it wrongly is better off than a person is simply a backstabber.

In terms of business, instant gratification with productivity and profits are not always king; and where employees (or any business relationship) are concerned, there is a lot of room for grace in my opinion. It takes time for people to grow professionally, so overlooking early flaws and failures can pay off in the back end; because people usually recognize that you've done that and are thankful... that's pretty much how Christianity works.
 
Family relationships in particular have a dynamic that overrides mutual loyalty.

You can see this even in worldly people; but it is most manifest in the spiritual- Jesus gave his own life for people who at the time would actively try to kill him or at least cut and run when things got tough... but because he desired to have brethren that could be capable of future loyalties, he gave his life... which sounds insane, really. Nobody else would do that of their own thinking.

But in the world you see family overlook minor disloyalties, or even forgive major disloyalties; because "family" is so highly valued. I think that's alright. You could certainly take that too far, but for the most part it seems right.
 
Even dogs are capable of some degree of loyalty. 1

VALOR is another of what I would call a "minor virtue". Cowardice is generally bad; but valor is only virtuous when tempered with faith and love. There have been plenty of warriors throughout history that boldly sneered at the infinite. In the book of Job; God points out to Job that even the horses he created can be as brave as a man-

19Do you give strength to the horse
or adorn his neck with a mane?
20Do you make him leap like a locust,
striking terror with his proud snorting?
21He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
he charges into battle.
22He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing;
he does not turn back from the sword.
23A quiver rattles at his side,
along with a flashing spear and lance.b
24Trembling with excitement, he devours the distance;
he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn sounds.
25At the blast of the horn, he snorts with fervor.
He catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shouts of captains and the cry of war
 
Socreta93 said:
It is always talked about how loyalty is considered a great virtue. "Oh this person is loyal, they are a great person". Here is my thing, loyalty can be good, loyalty can be bad. It all comes down too who you are loyal too. Loyalty is only good if the person deserves that loyalty. If someone is a great person, has shown to help others, or simply a kind person then yes, being loyal to that person is a good virtue. However if your friend is known to have cheated on his wife and you cover up and lie for him, that is being loyal to your friend, that is also not loyalty that should be applauded. If you are a boss and keep employing workers who are not getting the job done as well as someone who can replace them could, employing them for any reason but most importantly because you feel a sense of loyalty to them for whatever reason, either friends, family ect... thats a not a good thing. It's hurting business and production.

My point is, people should stop using loyalty as this high virtue of character, you can be loyal towards the wrong person(s) or loyal for the wrong reasons. The only good form of loyalty is if the person on the receiving end deserves it back.
Click to expand...

Amen.
 
I would argue that loyalty is undying faithfulness, at least until one passes. I would also argue that loyalty may not be a conditional thing, as I am called to be loyal to my husband, because of this I will not leave. Within a case of adultery, if gone on long enough, I perhaps would. I am not sure my heart could handle that. But when I signed up for marriage, I signed up for the good and the bad. Hes not always a joy to be around, and neither am I, Im sure. When he gets angry and yells at me, im here. When I annoy the living crap out of him, hes here. Faithfulness is a choice, and I would argue that whether or not someone deserves it is up to the one giving it, I'll always be loyal to my family, despite keeping my distance for the most part. My husband on the other hand says he would disown his family if he could. Fortunately he cant.

I think loyalty is a great virtue, and we should use it as often as we can. My beliefs are that other things associated with loyalty give it a bad rep here, as compromise is not loyalty, and neither is bad management. You can be loyal and not give one what they desire. Loyalty is continuing support and presence.

Loyalty doesnt mean you lack morals, you can be loyal and deny a friend or family member help regarding their imorality. My mom would have me try to hide things from my dad, I wouldnt do that. Ive told on friends who were being irresponsible. If they do not want my loyalty they can tell me to go away, but I will not compromise my moral values to please them. With my loyalty comes me.

I dont believe that loyalty should include compromise, but rather it should be given to a person who does compromise. You can be good to one who knows no good, and show them a better way of living. Most who you do this for though, will not want you around long. And that's probably for the best. If they are shady, chances are they wont like your loyalty without compromise, and you dont need shady people around.
 
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