Loyalty often ties us stronger than morality. We find ourselves supportive of someone or something even when they are doing something we would otherwise not support. This paper examines what is morality, loyalty, and how the two intertwine to cause conflict within the individual.
Loyalty
According to Hoffman, loyalty is an “allegiance to a concept outside of the self” (2006). Loyalty is when we stand up for a person, an organization, or a cause even if they support something we might not otherwise normally advocate. Loyalty is a bond that is typically difficult to break, even when the party we give our support does things we do not particularly enjoy. For example, many Nazis during World War II knew that conducting …show more content…
For example, if one does not maintain loyalty to her employer, she may be terminated. Or a Nazi soldier may not have spoken against the führer out of fear of execution. These, however, exemplify a false loyalty in the sense that the follower feels s/he has little choice in the matter.
Both morality and loyalty also have huge impacts on politics. In America, we have individuals who will identify with either democratic or republican. In some cases, the running politician’s moral views may not be overridden by his party’s loyalty, meaning he will get the vote regardless of his standings.
Conflict
Conflicts arise between loyalty and morality when individuals are forced to choose between their leader and their beliefs. When we face the decision to follow our comrades or our own hearts, we do not make the choice quickly. If we break our loyalty and expose someone we are close to, we face the loss of a friendship or career. However, we may also unchain ourselves from the burdens of our loyalty, enlightened that we are being true to ourselves before God. When one finds himself in such a situation, he must consider the following: is the personal gain worth the