The Evil that Resides in Loyalty

Loyalty is often touted as a desirable value. In fact all schools and governments would propagate and inculcate “Loyalty” in their youths and citizens. Oh why am I not surprised since Loyalty seems to bring in some form of security and stability to the country and community as one is expected to ‘remember’ one’s supposed roots, origin and identity? Somehow it is assumed that through the act of ‘remembering’, one will get into the act of repaying back the deeds to the country and community. Here I’m reminded of how loyalty indeed has the power to bind the people together amidst hardship and sufferings. In History, the colonised locals once pledged their loyalty to their own people, culture and leaders through the act of tattooing themselves on their bodies - a symbol of local defiance against the Western colonialists’ self-imposed leadership and culture. The Tattoo is a permanent mark cast to remind the locals of their identity. This mark never fails to amuse me as history has shown how it has the power to give birth to the spirit of Nationalism amongst the locals which would later see locals organising themselves and get into the action of resisting and throwing out the Colonialists from their treasured soil.

Traditional Maori Tattoo

But these phrases below made me rethink again of the value of Loyalty and very quickly Loyalty transformed itself into the shape of a Lucifer with 2 red horns:

“Do you pledge your loyalty to the King and to the Country and to the Church and to God such that you will serve to best of your capacity from ashes to dust?”

“We fight for God, We fight to uphold the God’s name! We fight to end Evil!”

“Long Live our God!!”

Here Loyalty seems to discreetly inculcate conformity in the people towards the authority and the already established system. It is one way to get people to remain subservient. It is one way to infuse blinded passion and enthusiasm in ordinary men and women such that there would be no qualms in committing torture, violence and atrocities to prove their loyalty - yes, all in the name of the King, the country, the community, the race, the tradition and sadly, God. Loyalty caused genocide in Cambodia. Loyalty caused Japan to enter the World War 2. Loyalty continues to discriminate and alienate those who do not conform, conveniently labeling them as ‘transgressors’, ‘criminals’, ‘deviant’ and/or ‘mad’.

Recovered skulls - Cambodia

Dried blood of tortured victims

Sure Loyalty makes one feel more human as one feels the ‘human camaraderie’ as one identifies with other fellow humans. But should we not forget that Loyalty too gives birth to some of the most inhumane actions amongst us by imposing unnecessary restrictions and rigidity in the free-will human?