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The Danger of Blind Loyalty in Politics
Loyalty is generally a good thing. It enables people to create relationships, be trustworthy, and be supportive of others they hold in high regard. But when loyalty becomes blind, we lose the ability to recognize our mistakes, reconsider our decisions, and acknowledge the truth. This can be particularly perilous, especially in politics.
Loyalty can give individuals a sense of belonging to their leader, party, and/or ideology. They start to think that they are more important to back their side of the political than questioning their actions. Even when their preferred leaders make questionable decisions, they find reasons to defend them.
We are not responsible for supporting a political leader. All are entitled to encourage someone who shares their ideas and values. The true trouble starts when people don’t evaluate those ideas, but are put on the defensive by their leaders.
Some people are quick to criticize the opposition’s decisions but remain silent when their own political party makes similar mistakes. When it comes to who they support, the standards they set for others drop away. This results in a partial accountability system rather than a general system.
The fact that people are blind also guides their actions towards each other. Oftentimes, political differences between parties that can become…
