Loyalty: An Outdated Word?

Now days, when you hear the word “loyalty” what does it mean to you? Does it resemble the relationship between a man and a dog? Or does it resemble the relationship between a soldier and his king? Your answer can be anything, but ask yourself why an ordinary man being loyal to another ordinary man is not what most people think of when they hear the word “loyalty”. We all know about the devastating catastrophic event on September 11 2001. But do we all know about the dog on the seventy-first floor that lead his defenseless master into safety? Omar Rivera, a blind man who lost all desire in fleeing the massive destruction, unleashed his dog and set him free. “Not having any sight I knew I wouldn’t be able to run down the stairs and through all the obstacles like the other people,” Omar says “It wasn’t fair that we should both die in that [hell].” Now wait, and put yourself into the dog’s position. Asthmatic Smoke Agonizing Fire Screams of Mortal Terror And what does the dog do? In this situation which path do you take? The one that leads you to safety, but life lasting guilt or the path that the four-year old Labrador retriever, Dorado takes - saving his best friend. I am not going against us humans; however we would flee to our own safety without a second thought. We can thank our ancestors for having a symbiotic relationship with dogs and the reason why dogs have a strong emotional connection to us. Loyalty is, and will always remain in humans no matter how materialistic our society becomes, no matter how greedy we become, no matter how many contracts we have to sign before someone can trust us, no matter how scientifically advanced we become. What is it in soldiers that make them loyal to their king even after death? A perfect example is The Funeral Transport of Charles XII painted by Gustaf Cederstrom, on that day Charles’ brain was destroyed by a projectile. With their King dead, the invasion on Norway was not carried out as planned.