On Loyalty

Published on January 27, 2018 (↻ June 1, 2021), filed under Everything Else (RSS feed for all categories).

Loyalty is about love; and when we’re not in love:

Loyalty is about will; and when we’re not willing:

Loyalty is about values.

Loyalty only requires either one of love, will, or values; and as such it has not one but two fail-safes; and that makes disloyalty such a grave and hurtful offense.

Someone who isn’t loyal is acting without love; without will; and without values towards the ones they betray.

And yet, while we can argue that we’re not always in love and that we’re not always willing, we should always be protective of our greatest possession, our values, like respect, compassion, or honor.

The disloyal have no excuse; they had not one but three options to be loyal, and it disgraces them that in the end, they could neither keep an eye on their values nor on the space between their legs.

It‘s easy to be loyal, and inexcusable to be disloyal; if not for love again, such offense could never be forgiven.

Figure: Loyalty. (Copyright King Features Syndicate, Inc., distr. Bulls.)

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a frontend engineering leader and tech author/publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead for companies like Google and as an engineering manager for companies like Miro, I’m somewhat close to W3C and WHATWG, and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development (and engineering management), but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my views and experiences.

If you’d like to do me a favor, interpret charitably (I speak three languages, and they do collide), yet be critical and give feedback, so that I can make improvements. Thank you!