Vice and Virtue II - Loyalty

In the first part of the "Vice and Virtue" series, I advocated the value of responsibility, which, in my view, forms the very basis of a healthy, civilized society.

But even when people act responsibly, they are not in a vacuum. Our loyalties, or lack-thereof, shape and define who we are. Is a woman a mother who fiercely defends her infants, or sees them as an unwanted burden? Is a man willing to put his money, name, or life on the line for a friend?
And for an ideal?

Loyalty can be explained in words: a committed emotional attachment that signifies devotion and allegiance.
But it is an emotion, and so must be felt, not simply understood. For this, I'd like you, the reader, to try and imagine who, or what, you would never turn your back to, even if offered all the money in the world.

Decades of smearing campaigns by leftist un-education have eroded loyalty as a 'foolish' behavior. Children are suggested that they should always put themselves first in any relationship. As these children grow-up (but do not mature), they begin to pay for this attitude: first when their personal relationships falter, and later when their own children turn on them.
Putting yourself first only means that, in the long-run, everyone else would put you last.

And then we read those idiotic news titles about celebrities bragging how happy they are to be alone.
Allow me to snicker in contempt. A small cup may fill fast, but a pathetic lie only makes a person more pathetic.

Then there is the hyper-sensitive idea of loyalty to a nation, which has become the equivalent of Fascism. While it's true that Fascist states demanded obedience from their populations, so did the nations that fought against them. The United States, and the British commonwealth did not ask people nicely whether they were interested in stopping Hitler, and then go have a cup of tea with one of his secretaries - they trained them to fight.
However, loyalty is not mere obedience. It cannot be commanded through fear, and requires a willing participation. It also has to be preserved through reciprocal actions, or what we get is exploitation.

So ask what your country can do for you, and what you can do for your country. That's the only correct rule.

A country is not the government. It is not the bureaucracy, and the institutions. A nation is comprised of "the people", and their values. This is where one's loyalty should lie with. That is the difference between Democracy, and the obedience of Fascism.

Being loyal does not mean to mindlessly agree and accept everything a friend, spouse, boss, troops, or country do, but rather to stand by their side, without compromising your own beliefs. For example, the Tea Party, while critical of the American government, is still loyal to the United States. Code Pink, on the other hand, is not.

Another person who doesn't have her loyalties sorted out is Anat Kam, an ex-IDF soldier who, while on duty, has leaked numerous secret documents to circles within the leftist media, under the guise of 'moral outrage'.
By breaching the trust of her superiors, and handing over sensitive information to elements hostile to the state, this woman has put her own needs and desires above those of the Israeli people. Therefore, as much as Anat's clique would like to paint her as some ideological hero, she is nothing but a common traitor.

In contrast, think about the drafted men, who walked towards the horrors of battle in WWII, or the Civil War, and did not break rank. They knew that upon their actions, their loyalty, lay the future of their country and home.
During the American War of Independence, when the British came for Thomas Jefferson at his home in Monticello, Robert Hemings and family - his black slaves - refused to cooperate, even under threat of bayonets.

So, when we compare these behaviors, we should ask ourselves which face should our society have, and who do we want our neighbors to be. Should we cry 'every man to himself', until every single principle is compromised for personal gain, and predators devour us whole.
Or do we want to be a part of something bigger.

So let us preach loyalty, in favor of creating long-lasting bonds: between husband and wife, parents and children, employer and employee, friends, siblings, and whole communities.
Because to have true freedom, we first need to have freedom from betrayal.

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Next Virtue: Wisdom