Loyalty: Be a Friend to Have a Friend Look out for those who care about you!

What is Loyalty? Loyalty is being a consistent follower of something. This can be your school, friends, family, or even favorite sports team! It means to standby, stick up for and protect your family, friends, school and country. Loyalty is a special moral responsibility to promote and protect the interests of others. This duty goes beyond the normal obligation we all share to care for others.

Should I ALWAYS be loyal to others? Being a loyal person is a great quality for a person to have. It shows you can be counted on, dependable, and faithful to someone or something. However, loyalty can be a tricky thing. There are some times when others might ask us to put their best interests first, when this really might not be the “right” thing to do. Anytime someone asks us to be loyal to them when it is unethical, we need to make sure that we are doing what is the “right” choice. An example of this might be if a friend asks you to lie for him, when you know doing so is wrong. In cases like these, you need to choose to do what is right.

Facts About Loyalty: You may be asking yourself, “So if I choose to be loyal to someone, what does that mean for me?” The next five slides will help you answer that question!

Loyalty is unwavering in good times and bad. It is not always easy to be loyal to a friend. Sometimes when someone makes you angry, it is easy to gossip about what he or she did to make you mad. But true loyalty means that you are a faithful friend even when it is hard. Be very careful with private information that could embarrass or hurt others.

Loyalty is what you do, not what you say. It is easy sometimes to say you are trustworthy to a friend, but it is more important to prove you are by your actions. Loyalty is an act, not a saying!

Loyalty can be demanding Sometimes a friend may expect you to be loyal when it is not easy to do. But, think about your favorite sports team; would you give up on them for losing one game? You wouldn’t want to do the same thing to a friend! .

Loyalty may involve sacrifice. Sometimes, in order to be a loyal friend, you may have to sacrifice (give up) something else. It can be easy to go along with the crowd, but if it means not being loyal to a friend, you shouldn’t do it. Imagine if you are in the lunch line and someone is making fun of your best friend. This person tells you that in order to be cool, you should make fun of him or her. But is being “cool” for a minute really worth losing a friend?

Loyalty will be rewarded Here’s the best fact of all: loyalty will be rewarded. If you are a trustworthy and loyal friend to another, he or she will be a good friend to you, as well. It is a great thing to have a best friend, and being loyal is the best way to make sure you’re friendship never ends. .

Loyalty to others is a great way to be a Grizzly Hero!