By Liba Hopeson | EMN
Children are taught to be obedient, faithful and loyal. Infidelity is often discouraged at homes and educational institutions. Thus, the title of this article may bemuse some mind. But, is loyalty always good? In the twentieth century, a renowned philosopher and Noble Laureate by the name Bertrand Russell remarked in a broadcast that loyalty is always evil. Reading this, one shouldn’t instantly conclude that he was irrational, for it was an exaggerated statement, and he knew it. In the book, ‘Nagas Essay for Responsible Change’, Dr. Venusa Tunyi, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Hyderabad University, stated, “Russell’s proclamation was meant to challenge the unexamined thoughts and traditions of the people of his era. During his time, the evil face of loyalty was visible in nationalism. Nationalism culminated in the form of World War II. Loyalty comes with a price. The price is at times bigger and costlier than we first thought”.
From philosophical perspective too, Venusa writes, “loyalty is a dangerous thing. It is the opposite of thinking, thinking rationally and nobly”. Modern education in India was not introduced with the purpose of exploring and preserving our values and beliefs. Rather it was introduced to produce a work force and to serve their colonial agenda, to establish the superiority of the western culture. The colonizers enslaved the minds of the colonized; education system and policies were framed in such a way that the subjects could be manipulated and dominated. In the words of Venusa, “Unconditional loyalty to a school of thought turns one into a dogmatic and exclusive thinker. Such a person stops listening to others. He or she is full of himself or herself and of ideology he or she is committed to”. One of his professors intimated that “Ideas cannot grow without intercourse”. He was then making a mockery of philosophers who only seem to take delight in musing over philosophical ideas of their great and beloved gurus within their enclosed rooms and refuse to step out onto the other corridors of learning.
Do you recognize the negative side of loyalty? The importance of having proper structure, rules and regulations in institutes, church, village, state and nation is commonly held. Disorganization and disorderliness leads to dysfunction. At times, I discuss with some of my friends that we Baptists are too independent that, our style of functioning in many ways impede growth and progress. Thus, we need to rethink and reconsider on the whole concept of Baptists’ Church Autonomy. For, without proper structure and regulation, certain unwanted elements are bound to happen. However, when an institute is too rigid that there is no room or opportunity for the citizens to critique and comment, it dwindles. So at times, when someone from a school or college say or remark something very contrary to the rule or framework of the institute, if he is sensible or reasonable, instead of always silencing him and branding him as “rebellious” and “mischief”, his voice needs to be heard, considered and analyzed. And if the authority of the institute finds such individual’s idea valuable and compelling, even though it would be somewhat shameful to the authority, they need to humbly admit their flaws and reform the system. Such reasonable students ought to be acknowledged and utilized. Many institutes might have not enhanced because without considering the truth, they always stifle the voices of everyone who are not loyal to them.
Is loyalty being abused? Do you see negative aspects of loyalty in our society? If you don’t, think of loyalty to village, clan, tribe, etc. Though a projected leader of a particular village is not trustworthy, we are expected to be loyal to the Village authority, abide by the Village Council’s decision, and follow the leader. If one or two persons, or few, choose not to abide by the resolutions adopted, they are considered as traitors and betrayers. Some villages even take resolution not to give leadership opportunity anymore to such people. The resolution not to co-operate with such persons is adopted by the village authority or council. This is a sorry state of affairs in many villages today – wrong concept of ‘loyalty to village’ breeds it.
Even in the church, loyalty does not always produce desirable results. Loyally following the man-made rules or traditions of the Church which are unbiblical do not make you a good Christian. In Church meetings or discussions, thus, it is advised not to take decisions always based on majority basis. If ninety nice percent of the Church decides on something and one percent disagrees, yet the minority’s view is purely Biblical, then, the Church needs to endorse the minority’s view. At times, the structure of the Church may be questioned by an individual; in such situation, the Church should not always negatively consider him as an awful dissident. Think deeply and evaluate whether the person gives sane critique for the good of the Church. Blind loyalty to Church for fear of human Church authority thwarts the growth of the Church of God.
Loyalty to tribe is one of the most unpleasant phenomena prevailing in our society today. It has caused tribalism so much so that the idea of oneness or unity is at stake. Whether a decision or rule of a tribe is good or bad, right or wrong, you are expected to be loyal to your tribe. If Jesus comes and live today as a tribal, his tribe may oust him for speaking the truth and for espousing the idea of oneness. Obviously, loyalty is not always good. In politics and leadership, there is lot of injustices simply because we are loyal to tribe in a wrong way. When I ask my friends to throw some ideas on how to bridge tribalism issue, suggestions on inter-tribal marriage is often given. Many villagers abhor this idea, but they proclaim that we must love one another. It is puzzling. Instead of having dialogues, discussions and events within one’s tribe, inter-tribal programs can be organized. We need to think beyond our clan, village and tribe. The world is vast, billions inhabit this earth.
Lastly, our concept of loyalty to nation is flawed in many aspects. Nagas, for want of freedom and nation, have ruined and destroyed many precious lives. The notion that one must be loyal has propelled many to take wrong actions which are against the Almighty who is above all nations and peoples. Many may not know that our silence and fear-loyalty have brought about numerous obnoxious elements into our society which cannot be restored easily. As if nation is more important than life, many have perpetrated barbaric acts in the name of nation. It’s time for the public to be with those who reasonably raise voice and bark for the common good. Many a times, the public, instead of siding with those who rationally speak out, stifle them and advise them to be loyal to the so called national workers. This is a disease in our society.
In this article, I’m not encouraging people to unreasonably protest, rebel and act violently. I’m just trying to propagate the idea that loyalty does not always bring good things. Blind loyalty is detrimental. Therefore, though there are many good aspects of loyalty, it is extremely important to know and remember that loyalty is not always good. Know the negative aspects of loyalty.
