Is Loyalty Good or Bad?

"Most people are taught that loyalty is a virtue. But loyalty--whether to one's friends to one's school or place of employment, or to any institution--is a destructive rather than positive force"

Loyalty is one of those qualities that we really look for in fellow human beings around us. In a highly competetive world it is comforting to know that you have someone reliable around you, someone who will not stab you in the back. Saying that loyalty is a destructive force may seem absurd. Is it like condemning an act of goodness?

If we assume that loyalty is indeed a destructive force, this implies that one should not be loyal. In the absence of the concept of loyalty, the person is free to follow a course which pleases him the most or suits his interests. He is also free to ignore, even harm, the interest of organization or people to whom he was supposedly loyal. This can be his workplace, school, college, friends, girlfriend, spouse, children or teacher. What would you call such a person? Opportunistic, egoistic, egocentric, unreliable : you have your choice of words to take and add. Would you like to be such a person? Would you like to have such a person around you?

In this era of globalization and fierce competition, many free lancers and professionals sell their brains to the highest bidder. Even for them commitment is a commitment. One takes the money one wants and delivers the result expected with no strings attached. It is said that even the world of crime has ethos. Without loyalty and the trust generated by such loyalty no project on the face of this earth can move forward.

So why do I say loyalty can be a destructive force? Loyalty can be a destructive force if it is selfishly bent and twisted to take some ugly forms like bigotry or chauvinism. Loyalty cannot be used as an excuse to harm or look down upon others. The feeling of mutual loyalty binds a family. The same feeling may be said to bind a terrorist organization! When we insist on being loyal and steadfast, sometimes we tend to overlook the mistakes of the people we are loyal to. One has to remember that being loyal means being dependable and trustworthy. It does not mean condoning or assisting in wrong doing. If your friend is digging his way down to hell, as a loyal buddy it is your duty to stop him and not to help him. Nevertheless some people do interpret loyalty as closing their eyes and ears.

Loyalty also does not mean that even if people use you, abuse you, walk over you with hob-nail boots; you still stick to them! Sticking to a company that pays you less and uses you more, staying in an abusive relationship, siding with your friend even when you know what he/she is doing is downright evil, indiscriminately promoting useless people because they belong to your region/religion/caste/country are some examples of how loyalty can be a destructive force.

Concluding, in the final analysis loyalty in itself is a neutral quality. Obsession with it can be destructive and so can be its total absence. It is definitely indispensable for successful group work. Whether it shows up as a positive or a destructive force depends on the kind of work the group does and the discretion/intelligence of the individuals. Unfortunately in today's world it is more of a destructive rather than a constructive force...