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Loyalty

Be Loyal is to be faithful to ones friends , principles , country , school , job , etc. Loyalty is a tenet that everybody have , animals have it too . Gorillas are a clear example of it . In Africa these great apes live in group . As many as thirty gorillas may live together, but there are more likely to be from six to seventeen animals in a group . The group always include at least one full-grown male that by this time has grown a saddle silver hair on his back . Whithin the group there are often one or more younger black back males , a few females , and a number of youngsters and infants .

A mature silverback at east twelve years old is their leader . This enormous gorilla decides when and where the group travels , feeds , rests and sleeps . The leader is the chief protector of the group . When danger threatens , the others usually slip off , leaving the silverback behind to warn and repel the invader . They rarely fight . Females gorillas may scream at each other – and perhaps even scratch and bite lightly . At such times glare from the silverback is enough to restore the peace . A stare or nudge from the leader also keeps the males behaving .

With infants , even the firmest leader is often easygoing . He allows them to pull his hair , punch him , and crawl all over him . Once when a little gorilla leaned against a huge silverback , the male grabbed a long-stemmed flower and tickled the infant with it . Babies are in fact , popular with the entire group . Male and female gorillas hug and play with them much the way we do with human babies . Females move up in rank when they become mothers . If one wants a better place to sit , a childless female will move over for her . Or a female without little ones will play baby- sitter while a mother eats or naps .

The jungle exposes all animals to dangers , even the mighty gorilla . These great apes climb trees carefully , but now and then they misjudge the strength of the branches and fall. They also get injuried by running into sharp , pointed branches . When they can , they treat their own wounds . They lick the broken skin and pull the hair from the injured area . If they cant reach it , another animal in the group will care for the wound . In this group of gorillas we can appreciate a family loyalty . We see how loyal the leader is to his family and the family to his leader .

Inside a family is the same , the loyalty from the children to their parents and vice versa . We care about our family s members and we always try to take care of them . The same thing happen in our Dojan , we are like a family that take care of each other . We are loyal to our teachers we trust in our teacher and they trust in us . We are loyal to our classmates , we care about them , that why we try to help them to learn , to improve and to practice good . “No man is an island , entire of itself … ” (John Donne). I particularly find frienship as a good example of loyalty .

The contemporary saying “people need people” is a way of expressing our need for association with friendly others . From birth to death we need the nurture of other humans ,and nearly everything we do is affected by what responses we anticipate and receive . As we move from place to place , from relationships to relationships , from job to job (from school to school), often far away from home , we desperatey need some trusted friends . Our survival depends on finding ways to treat strangers and be treated by them with kindness , compassion , and benevolence – in short , as friends .

What , then , are the qualities of a friend ? I know the feeling I have when I am with one . It is “I belong here” . Seeing a good friend is like going home , or like tasting Mothers cooking. I feel secure ,and need not protect myself . “Here” , I say , “it is safe , for I am loved” , thats how I feel now each time I cross my Dojan s door . However , it is not onlly the survival of our species that depends on our capacity for making friends , but our individual survival as well . Our cities are becoming unlivable because of what individuals do to each other.

Resident and others forms of individual violence . People who are in the way are treated as objects to be destroyed , no more than inanimate interferences . And even when there is no hreat of violence , we al still must be nurtured by caring others in order to continuity in our urban landscapes , without them we would starve . Yet , there is an important element of selfishness in all friendships , even if that does not appear to be so . We like our friends because of how they make us feel and because there is some mutual advantage to having them .

Even in the apparent altruism of helping a friend , there is an element of selfishness , for in doing so I feel good. I asked one friend for his definition of friend . “Someone you can count on in a pinch” , he quickly said . I asked another friend . Loyalty” , she said , with just as much certainty . Others mentioned consistency , sharing confidences , and thoughtfulness . “People you can do things you like with” , another said . “Those who would never cause your harm no matter what”, “unconditional love”. Thustworthiness is another quality that is prized.

And honesty – “Be honest and do no harm” . Yet that is precisely what occurs with friends , and if you know they sincerely care for you, you can accept the brutal truth . You know that what they say and do is with goodwill in mind . An important thing about a friend is that he or she wants to be and share with you, ithout considering what material gain may accrue from the relationship. A confusing factor is that some people today are taught to act like friends , when manipulation is their only purpose . Salesmen of every kind are sometimes trained that way .

The statue that stands in front of Father Flanagans Boys Town depicts one boy carrying another . The caption beneath it reads , “He aint heavy , Father , hes my brother”. That is the way it is with true friends . They are no burden when you carry them-no more so than carrying yourself would be . The burden carried by a friend is yours to share , and your urden is aldo his , for you know your fates are linked. Friends can accept and appreciate us for who and what we are , and for what we share – values, work , location , school , some experience ( Taekwon-Do ) , even other friends .

We dont have to explain ourselves to them nor they to us . Friends know that in some basic way they are just like we are , and that is what allows us to became so close . What ,then , is the magical process by which a stranger becomes a friend ? We need to look beyond the superficialities of manners , culture , and immediate design , for the ways n which we are all alike reside in a deeper layer . Beneath the surface , there is a potential friend in nearly every stranger . I consider loyalty an important element to learn Taekwon-Do .

We should be loyal to our Dojan as we are to our family and friends . Another important element necessary to learn Taekwon-Do is “Perseverence” . Perseverence is the continue steady effort made to fulfil some aim . We must persevere at our training to become proficient at Taekwon-Do . We must not become discouraged because we are having some difficulty perfecting a technique or learning a pattern . Without consistent and dedicated training , the necessary skills will never be learned . I find this tenet of Taekwon-Do very important to reach .

If we dont persevere we will never reach our goals . I came here eight months ago , with a red belt and the knowledge of just eight Taegeuk . It was embarrassing when teachers , and other colours belt asked me if I knew some other pattern or some step sparring and I said “NO” ; or when we had to do some partner work, and I couldnt help my partner to practice because I didnt Know what or how to do it ; or when an adult red belt refused to work with me because I didnt know my 20 steps ovements .

At that moment I felt horrible , I wanted to give up , but instead I decided to try again , to learn what I didnt know . Get a black belt seemed unreachable to me , but I was ready to learn and persevere as much as I can and do my best ( at least to try ) . Finally I made through . Now I know what I didnt know , and now I also can help my partner to practice an perfectionate himself . I also can help my partner when she or he doesnt remember something . I still having a lot to learn , but I dont feel embarrass any more ; and I m ready for it.

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