5. There are positive and negative consequences
for being too loyal.
The positive consequences of being too loyal vary depending on whom is being loyal to whom; a person to a person, person to a company, person to a leader/ruler, or a person to a belief etc. If the loyalty is to another person, you would certainly eventually gain that person's trust, and from this trust would blossom a better relationship. The person would, in turn, also be more likely to give their loyalty back to you, thus becoming someone you can trust and depend on. Having a person we ourselves can rely on provides a certain comfort and feeling of well-being that cannot be provided by anything else, hence it is positive. If the loyalty was to a company, though, the positive effects would be different. For example, the loyalty could make you a more likely candidate for a desired job, or you could receive special job benefits such as getting discounts or better deals. Or, more information about the company could be opened or provided to you, and inasmuch giving you more opportunities to create prime benefits. So yes, there are positive consequences that come out of loyalty, but these can change depending on whomever one is being loyal to.
But let us not forget there are also negative consequences involved with being too loyal. If you allow it, loyalty can prevent you from seeing things the way they truly are; it can make you blind to actual truths. From this, people can get seriously hurt, whether it is whomever you are bestowing your loyalty upon or merely innocent people caught in the crossfire. For example, you are a teenager, and you hear through the grapevine that you best friend is bullying a younger student. But, your friend always appears never less then genuine in your presence, and in your loyalty to your friend you dismiss the idea completely, and do not pursue the subject. Yet your friend is, in fact, actually bullying this student, and because you choose not to look the truth in the eye the younger student continues to suffer. And, in the future, when your friend finally gets caught in the act, he or she is going to be negatively affected too. See how being too loyal can cloud your judgment? Loyalty can also have negative consequences if it is to a leader, ruler(such as a king), or captain. This is because in order to remain loyal to, say, a king(as if in the Middle Ages or Renaissance time period), you may have to carry out actions that you do not feel are morally just. Such as collecting extremely high taxes from people who can barely afford to feed themselves, due to your king's negligence and over indulgence. Another similar negative aspect to loyalty, would be if your someone to whom you are being loyal asks you to do something for them, and you do it, only to later discover that something was a crime. You then are the one who has to suffer the guilt and pay the price for the crime - not the person who asked you to do it. Finally, and probably one of the most prominent negative consequences of loyalty, is the fact that, no matter how much we deny it, it is in human nature easier to be evil rather than good. So you may be devotedly loyal to a person, only for them to turn around and "slap" you in the face. That is why we must always be careful in choosing who we grant our loyalty to.
In summary, being a bit too loyal can have both positive and negative consequences. The problem is, these consequences can change depending on what one person's opinion or view of loyalty is. Where true loyalty is concerned, there can be a gray area. For example(yes, another one), your friend tells you she or he has been having a rough time at home, and is thinking of running away. She/he makes you promise not to tell anyone. This is where your loyalty to your friend becomes complicated. Do you not tell anyone, as your friend requested, or would it be considered more loyal to break your promise and tell someone, so that the friend does not end up getting hurt? So is loyalty directed specifically at someone(loyalty to what they ask of you), or more so at the well-being of a person? These questions continue to surface the deeper we search into depths of loyalty. For each and every person, the answers are going to be different - even if only very slightly.
Loyalty, as you should now know, is a very complex issue. Sure, it has positive consequences, such as earning someone's trust. But it can also have negative consequences, such as preventing you from seeing reality. Furthermore, the meaning of it can change from person to person. Loyalty; taught as a virtue and thought to be admired by many. But how do you see it?
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