e-commentary

. . .

S          “Loyalty is the dutiful younger cousin of love.  Related to agape and unrelated to eros.  You only find it among those with a secure sense of self esteem and magnanimity.”

D          “I also find it among those individuals who subscribe to a disciplined sense of duty.  In boot camp, the military breaks down the individual and builds up the unit based on discipline and loyalty.  Society breaks down the individual and boots him out.  Loyalty is basically confined to the military and to mutts and to a few other strays.  My dog is the only loyal person I know.  Loyalty is a rare and endangered animal.”

. . .

S          “Too often loyalty is defined as a willingness to lie to cover for someone or to cover up a situation for someone.  True loyalty requires you to be loyal to a Code that is greater than the person and to be loyal only to those who don’t even ask you to challenge the Code.”

D          “Fidelity may be so rare because it does not derive from self interest.  We are acculturated to buying what passes for allegiance for a period of time.  We rent it when necessary with no expectation that it otherwise exists or endures.”

. . .

Bumper sticker of the week:

Let me be the person my dog thinks I am

This entry was posted on August 29, 2011 at 10:10 pm and is filed under Military, On [Traits/Characteristics], Pogo Plight, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.