At its fundamental root, the idea of freedom is about having an abundance of choices and being able to choose which one best serves our interests. It is a very simple concept, but it is also an idea that many have fought and died for and it is always fleeting. Many have also traveled great distances, in some cases uprooting their entire families, in search of a location that affords them the right to be able to reason and choose. This is all that supporters of freedom really want; the ability to reason and choose for themselves.
Is it me, or does it feel like we are entering a new era of freedom? Maybe I am just late in realizing this, or too early, but it seems to be all around us. We have a greater capacity to communicate freely and share ideas than we ever have before, we have more choices in which currency to adhere to, and we even have new ways to make a living, which provides us with more of an opportunity to spend more time doing things that we actually enjoy.
This brings me to my question: is loyalty dead? Nietzsche famously said, “God is dead.” He made this argument because he felt that a new era was near; one of a new morality which flowed from a new and different source. It is possible that our new found freedoms are making it more difficult to remain loyal, and this new paradigm may soon be amongst us.
If freedom consists of an abundance of choices and opportunities and our consent is reserved for that choice or opportunity that best adheres to our interests, and if we are entering a new era that consists of widespread freedom, then it seems logical that we will find it harder to remain loyal to those things we consent to today or tomorrow. We will become enamored with what is next. We will become enamored with that new product the world has borne and that which freedom has made possible that it become mine.
What do you think? Is loyalty dead?
All comments welcome.
