American Loyalty - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Loyalty

               American Loyalty is narrowly defined.  It is adherence to to commitments or obligations.

               In other nations it might be blind obedience to the government, political party or some individual in power.  That is the type of loyalty that a dog has for its master.

               American Loyalty is fidelity, friendship, family, friends and the future.

               The sterling quality about American Loyalty is that it must be reviewed from time to time and scrutinized.  In the first case to ensure that you are adhering to whatever promises you have made to fulfill it.  In the second case to ensure that thing or person to whom you are being loyal is still worthy of your loyalty.

               This is not to say you would become a traitor but it must be admitted that just because you have decided to be loyal to someone or something does not mean you will receive the same in turn.

               Normally these bonds are reciprocal but sometimes people make mistakes.

               In some countries if these mistakes are made – whether in personal life or public duties – the consequences can be quite severe.  They include death, for example, in the form of executions or assassinations or so-called ‘honor killing’ all of which are nothing more than murder.

               If someone makes a mistake or an organization fails in its obligations towards those it is supposed to serve then it is right that they or it should be called to account.  The loyalty of those most closely involved is called into account as well as their motives.  It is wise to examine the situation for yourself as an American to determine if this person or cause is worth your continued loyalty.

               If it turns out that something is amiss then American Loyalty demands that you either remove yourself from the connection or immediately go about doing whatever it is that can be done to correct the situation.

               By your strong, positive action in the face of some poisoned circumstance you can express American Loyalty in a way to show that the intention of what was being done was good but the result, unfortunately, turned out bad.

               When people turn on others with no plan for correction or concern about their own involvement up to that point they can plant seeds of cynicism and spoil future plans of others.  Clear and honest action can avoid that problem.

               There are many stories of loyalty in the world and in the United States.  The ones I am most inclined to understand and agree with are those that allow for free will and logic and understanding as well as love to enter in.  A cause that is exclusive because it is cause of hatred is not a cause to be loyal to.  In the balance of something like that – what would you choose?  The cause of hate or the cause of your nation, your family and friends?  When considered in this light choices become easy to see.

               If it is not about cooperation and strength – what is it about?

               Some political organizations in the United States operate on a process of exclusivity.  That is – they are exclusive and allow some people in and keep other people out.   For the people that join these units they may feel it is okay.  For people excluded or negatively impacted by the actions of the exclusive group this is not okay.

               Some people call loyalty to political party very important.  They vote one party whether it is right or wrong.  They don’t even review the issues or the candidates.  This is not American Loyalty.  That is the loyalty of a dog for its master.

               American Loyalty demands that you investigate and understand those things or people to whom you are going to give your loyalty because participation in the American Nation means that your loyalty belongs first to yourself, your family, your friends, your nation and then others or other things.

               If there is any conflict the order of importance helps to work it out.

               Worse than having no loyalty is having misplaced or misapplied loyalty.

               Misplaced or misapplied loyalty can lead to tragedy and has done so on many occasions.  We have seen too often in the course of human events the kind of errors and horror that misplaced or misapplied loyalty can exact.

               Consider the actions of religious fanatics.  War, exploitation, murder.  The list goes on.  History is filled with their excesses.

               We are seeing some of it even today.

               Consider political extremists.  Whether Left Wing or Right Wing, Conservative or Liberal, Communist or Capitalist, the rolls of the dead are long.  Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, the genocide of the Native Americans along with modern murdering political zealots leaves much to be desired when considering party loyalty.

               Consider the outcome from the behaviors of organized criminals – or even disorganized or individual criminals.  Acts of violence, the appearance of governments within governments.  Al Capone of Chicago infamy is a good example of this.

               Consider the outcomes caused by business interests loyal to each other and to profits in such a way that their actions lead to starvation, privation, impeding of progress and death.

               Loyalty to an object is questionable unless the loyalty is expressed to the things which the object represents are taken into account.

               In that case it is not the flag people die for but the things for which the flag stands for.

               My country right or wrong is not a statement of loyalty.  If there are actions taken by the nation that are clearly wrong then as Americans the right thing to do is correct them.

               All of these negative aspects of loyalty are often played up by the American press and entertainment industries.  This is not surprising considering that the American press and entertainment industries are by and large controlled by the same companies. They have one product and they push it well.

               They hardly ever touch on American Loyalty except to mock it or try to show how weak a force it may be.

               Actually American Loyalty is what is responsible for children being sent to school each day, teachers showing up to work, carpenters builds, mechanics fixing, scientists inventing and the entire array of activities taken up in the United States each day.   They are powered by loyalty to family, friends and country.

               It is puzzling to note that if everything is so bad then why is everyone still going along with it?  The fact is that is not that bad if you apply yourself.  Even if you find yourself in a hard situation if you apply yourself you can make it work out.

               Loyalty to self and your own beliefs is American Loyalty.  Belief in the good and right – that is American Loyalty.

               To see American Loyalty enshrined – visit Washington, DC, or any place where there are statues of people who have done some thing or another that might be notable.  Take into account that they were loyal to something – to what?  To themselves, their families, the nation and the future.  Loyal to you.

               So what are you loyal to?  What would gain your loyalty or trust over a long period of time?  What do you care about so much that you would keep a close eye on it and pay attention to it and guard it?

               That is the thing towards which you are expressing American Loyalty.

               Who in the United States would show forth something like American Loyalty?

               The night watchman, fathers and mothers, soldiers, sailors, patriots, teachers, the scientist – these and many more.

               It is the motives of the loyalty that play an important part in determining if it is American Loyalty being expressed, private loyalty or extremism.

               No less important than motive – what is actually done?  What actions are taken to express the feeling of loyalty?

               If the actions taken to express this virtue are violent and selfish and destructive then it is misplaced or misapplied loyalty.

               If the actions taken are personal, productive and the act of a guardian or actively concerned individual then this is the type of loyalty I am speaking of.

               American Loyalty is not something to laugh at.

               It is the raising of the flag – or lowering of it.  It is the placing of the flag at half-staff when someone has died and we wish to honor that person.  More importantly – so that person would not have died in vain – if it is necessary to correct whatever caused that death then those actions should be taken by the person wishing to express American Loyalty.

               I am not talking about revenge.

               Today, in my state, flags were flown at half-staff for a young man sent to Afghanistan.

               He did what he thought he had to do in order to express his own sense of American Loyalty.

               Now he is dead.

               I expressed my American Loyalty by mourning for his loss and recognizing the sacrifice that he made.

               But why did he make it?  Am I to say the reason he made the sacrifice was to make a sacrifice?  That is wrong and forbidden by religion and law.  It  puts his life, in that context, at one and the same as a sacrifice made of a slave.  Without my understanding or response to his sacrifice then all that happened was a sacrifice.

               If that is the case then another will need to be made – and another and another.  But what is the thing to which human life is being sacrificed to?  Is it a flag?  Many people would react in horror if I suggested that.  Was the life sacrificed to honor?  No.  Was the life sacrificed to wealth?  Well – now we begin to have an issue arising out of this.

               Is it American Loyalty to deny that a small number of people, in ratio to the entire population of the United States, are making an extraordinary amount of money and as a result of that profit Americans are being killed?  Is it American Loyalty to deny that American military might is being expended to kill people that likely do not make up a threat to the United States – no matter how despicable and dishonorable they might be?

               These are questions that you can answer for yourself.  The media and entertainment industry each day takes great pains and receives great sums to answer those questions for you – or to hide them away.

               We are ‘lucky’ to receive the notice that the young man or woman died.  The stories that follow are simple and unadorned.  They include reminiscences of his or her life as a track star or football player.  How he or she was popular and might have had some favorite saying, television show or food.

               Teachers, preachers, friends, family members and finally the newscasters themselves, talking as if they knew the dead warrior personally – talk on at length.

               What is never discussed or is noted only briefly – is why they died.

               The War in Afghanistan is not being discussed right now.  It is a political season.  We, as Americans, see more in the newspapers about the lack of jobs or road building contracts than we see about the advanced weapons that these warriors are using in a country that is supposedly not even able to feed its own people.

               If we ask questions we are given misleading or meaningless answers.  The question becomes one of who is expressing loyalty?  The politicians are closely expressing loyalty to their parties.  The news media to their companies.  The friends and relatives of the deceased to the deceased.

               Where in this awful mess was anyone expressing American Loyalty?

               It would have to be the friends and relatives of the deceased.

               But is there more to do?  Is it enough that in this case that I am referring to that the boy is dead or is there something else that needs to be done?

               Do we as Americans leave it to someone else to work this out?

               After all we are told it is all being done in our name.  It is certainly being done with our money.

               The people that are being helped in Afghanistan, if they lived in the United States and behaved the way they do in Afghanistan, would either end up in jail or dead.

               Yet they are receiving the protection of this nation.

               It is a thorny issue – but one that clearly delineates the type of loyalty that I consider American Loyalty.

               It becomes then a question of courage to express this American Loyalty to drive home the facts and get the answers to the questions that are being unanswered or lied about.

               Some people would resort to name calling if anyone raised a question about what the government was doing – but the fact remains this is a government of the people, for the people and by the people.

               Insults will not change that.

               There are examples in history of people so lost in loyalty that they acted worse than a dog loyal to its master.

               Is American Loyalty to be expressed as lies or in silence that can be interpreted as so secret that even the truth will be hidden?  Isn’t that lying?

               American Loyalty cannot be expressed that way.  It has never been expressed that way.  It will never be expressed that way.

               Lying is lying.

               Cheating is cheating.

               Killing is killing.

               Stealing is stealing.

               American Loyalty is honesty seeing a situation and commenting on it.

               Right now it seems like the bad guys are in control and that they are running things.

               I think it is more accurate for the good guys to show themselves and their actions a little more.

               If you want to be one of the good guys, after all, you have to act like a good guy.

               If you take on all the actions and behaviors of a bad guy and still want to consider yourself a good guy – you are not automatically a good guy – you are just a bad guy lying to yourself.

               American Loyalty is a personal thing.  It is something held and honored and expressed for self, family and nation even in spite of the actions of them.  It stands up for the good in the self, family and nation and will not allow it to fall because of laziness, greed or trickery.

               Any good dog may be loyal to its master.  For that it should be rewarded and cared for.

               The expression of American Loyalty, however, might mean rocking the boat or calling attention to something that should not be done in our name or anyone’s name.  It might mean putting yourself at odds with the majority or the ones with loud voices.  It means perseverance and learning the truth and sharing it.

               American Loyalty is a very involved set of actions and thoughts.  It is restless and ever changing but its roots are in the self, family and nation and so it is a true and good set of actions and thoughts.

               In order to responsibly express American Loyalty one needs tools to do so.  Education can be the tool to do this.  We will discuss the Appreciation of Education and Learning and Wisdom next.