I have never been someone who puts much stock in astrological signs or the Chinese zodiac. My theory has always been why look to the stars for your answers when you can look to the One who made those stars?
Even so, I can agree many of my personality traits do eerily resemble those attributed to my astrological birth sign and the Chinese spirit animal my birth year represents. The overriding trait attributed to me, whether it be by birth year or birth date, is loyalty.
Merriam-Webster defines loyalty as; implying a faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray.
Maybe it’s the stars the Lord made sure I was born under, but my own loyalty to others not only runs deep, I would venture to say it is the single most important attribute I look for in another. Everything stems from loyalty — love, honesty, who we show respect for, our sense of right and wrong or fairness and who we trust.
A disgusting tradition to be sure, but in previous generations people really spit on their hands before shaking to seal a deal or guarantee a promise. This vile action was considered binding and breaking such a sworn spit oath would result in your forever being known as someone whose word was worthless. Not only would your word be considered of no value, so too would the mention of your family name.
To say people took loyalty seriously in past generations is no understatement.
In ancient days, those whose word could not be trusted or their actions found to be disloyal, were often put to death in various unpleasant ways as befits a traitor.
In more modern times, people showed loyalty in several ways — frequenting particular stores or banks, buying only certain brands, or albums by their favorite bands or musicians.
Fast forward to today and the store that used to cater to their customers no longer cares if the customer is right or happy when they leave their doors. A domino effect, this apathy regarding their customer’s pleasure in their products and services led to consumers feeling the sting of indifference from big box customer service representatives across the nation, causing their loyalty to the individual stores to wane in response.
On a grander societal scale, this domino effect of compromised loyalty has slowly crept into other areas, such as in professional courtesy, the worker/employer relationship and even the most sacred of society’s bonds — marriage.
So, does loyalty still matter today? Does it still have a place in our modern world or is it merely a dusty old relic left over from the bygone days of bustles and horse drawn buggies?
If you are asking me, then loyalty always matters because it is how I gauge my ability to trust.
As a younger person I was guilty of placing trust in nearly everyone — whether they had actually earned it from me or not. It took a few hard knocks in life for me to finally get over my belief that everyone has the same morals and values as me.
In life, I have found myself defending people and putting trust in those who ultimately ended up violating my faith in them and leaving me once again feeling blindsided by actions I would have never taken against them should our roles be reversed. I have stood by those who later did not show any loyalty to me when their own fortunes changed. And despite personal growth, most recently, I again believed promises made by people who never intended to keep them.
You might think this would make me less loyal, but those same unlucky stars I was born under also supposedly mean I’m stubborn, so these days I am just a lot more guarded about who I trust. But, hey, a girl can make a mistake every now and again, right?
Overcoming so much in my life has made me fierce in protecting my peace. It has admittedly made my circle smaller, but it is a circle I trust.
I definitely am a less open person than I used to be so if I ever confide anything, even the smallest of personal details about myself, my thoughts, or opinions I have with you, then know I am sharing something I consider sacred with you — my trust.
If you have my trust, you have my loyalty.
As a rare commodity these days, if someone who deeply values loyalty puts their confidence in you, please try to rise to the occasion. Trust me, you have no idea how even a seemingly small breach of allegiance can break the heart of the person who believed you would come through for them.