A king in Arabia ordered some exotic vegetables from another country. The cook prepared them and served them to him. The king enjoyed it and told the minister sitting next to him about it. The minister agreed that those were the best vegetables. So every day the same vegetables were being cooked. On the fifth day, the king shouted that he didn’t want to see the same vegetables and that they were hopeless and stank. The minister agreed with the king that the vegetables were hopeless.
When someone agrees with your statement, you cool down, and so did the king. But then he asked the minister, “How come the other day you were praising the vegetables so much?” The minister said, “My Lord, I am your servant. My loyalty is towards you and not the vegetables. If you say they are no good, then they are no good.” Similarly, in life, we have our loyalties. So we need to look into where our loyalty lies, where our preferences are and where our attention is, and set it right.
Loyalty is needed both in the material and spiritual planes. Either to destroy, create or maintain any institution, group or society, loyalty is essential. Loyalty is how a mature and integrated mind behaves. It indicates undivided wholeness of consciousness and shows the richness of the mind. When the mind is not integrated, it is feverish, disloyal and opportunistic. Disloyalty comes out of opportunism.
Opportunism is the short-sightedness of one’s destiny. Integrity or wholeness is essential to be healthy. A divided mind will gradually lead to schizophrenia and other physical and mental disorders. Fear and ambitions are impediments to loyalty. Honouring commitment is loyalty. It takes you beyond the duality of craving and aversion. Responsibility, dedication, and commitment are the limbs of loyalty. A loyal mind is a ‘yes’ mind - a calm, holistic and joyful mind. The ‘no’ mind is agitated, doubting and miserable. Loyalty begins with a ‘yes’ mind and starts to perish with a ‘no’ mind. Loyalty is a real strength and will have the support of nature in the long run.
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