Loyalty

We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea,

and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.

~ G. K. Chesterton

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Loyalty can come from a place of love and caring and concern for the shared experience or common good.  One is loyal be s/he is invested and wants the best for a person or a group.  The other is just as if not more important than the individual.  This type of loyalty focuses on the happiness of others which returns happiness to the self.  Loyalty based on love. 

Loyalty can also come from duty or obligation which may or may not have to do with love.  Loyalty comes from the French word for legal.  This type of loyalty is about expectation and obligation - even if it is self-imposed.  It may or may not have anything to do with love or caring.  It could, I suppose, have to do with caring about one's own reputation or the opinions of others, but I'm not sure I'd call that love.  I'm not saying it is bad or good.  Just another way of looking at the word.

And maybe loyalty based on obligation can become an act of love.  And maybe loyalty based on love can become more obligatory than caring.  There are lots of ways of looking at it.  Customer loyalty is not the same as the loyalty of one's pet. 

Loyalty can also come from a birthright and inherited title.  No.  Wait.  That's royalty.