Loyalty – A submissives perspective
Monday, September 10th, 2007
Loyalty, as defined, means faithfulness in commitments and adherence to a cause and implies a sense of duty and devotion to something or someone.
Thinking about loyalty in everyday life, there are a few common loyalties that begin to evoke some emotions that are powerful. People can be loyal to a team, or an alma mater. The notion of loyalty represents an unwavering love and devotion, in the good times and the bad and people tend to define themselves with the identity of being a fan or an alum. Loyalty is an abstract term, but it describes a very real feeling that one can have towards a cause. Fans very actively follow the progress of their team, support them in attendance, rooting for and identifying with the team. A sense of spirit can run very deep. Being an abstract subject, loyalty describes something very real, but intangibleGoing to another level of loyalty, patriotism is a form of deep loyalty. In the USA patriotic songs and notions of giving of self for country evoke such deep emotions. Songs of patriotism can bring tears to ones eyes and the sense of pride of association can also be a major part of our identity.
In both cases, the abstract notion of being loyal to these causes brings with it a sense of identity and the attachment to that identity can become so deeply emotional that the attachment almost defines a person. Conversely, there are plenty of fair weather fans, alumnus that view their alma mater as merely an institution that they attended and citizens who care not much for patriotism. Loyalty comes from within a person and the sense of identity with the associated cause, likewise, comes from within, and loyalty is not assumed just because one is a fan, and alumni or a citizen.
From the point of view of a submissive person, loyalty to a Dom/Domme works the same way. First, one can admire a Dom/Domme, and be submissive to them, and taken further, a submissive can become slave to a Master/Mistress. As a slave, an identity has been defined. Just as a citizen is an identity, there can certainly be varying degrees of adherence to the cause of the country. Merely being a slave does not imply devotion. Loyalty, or the lack thereof, really defines how a slave feels towards the Master/Mistress and is a further definition of that identity.
With this abstract term, this sense of clarifying of an identity, the notion of being loyal is where the heart of the slave is. One can love their country, and be fiercely dedicated to the sense of nation, feel a sense of pride, identity, belonging and can appreciate all of the feeling of patriotic spirit that comes with it. This is the kind of person that might stand proud during a parade, during a pledge of allegiance, or cry at a memorial because their sense of loyalty has so moved them.
Now, serving a Master or Mistress, from a different perspective, can be this moving, this emotional, depending upon the slave’s loyalty.
Loyalty is the magical state of being that makes a slave identify, truly identify, to the deepest level, what it means to really be proud to associate and identify with their Master / Mistress. It further means, that those emotions and that close association means that the devotion is for them and for them alone. Even if there are things the slave disagrees with, or if it is a good day or a bad day, the sense of identity remains further defined by how deeply loyal that slave is to the one they are committed to.
Commitment is part of the definition. Being a slave brings on a commitment, brought about by the want to be associated with a Dominant. Commitment bring on a sense of duty and faithfulness to them. This commitment represents not a burden, so much as a desire to be so associated, to be so identified, and to be proud to be slave.
Just as with deep patriotism, or fierce support of a favorite team, the spirit and energy that comes forth, in good times and in bad, is in direct correlation with the level of intensity of the loyalty within the slave.
Without loyalty, the D/s relationship is nothing more than an association. The deep, spirit and flow of energy, the beautiful, yet abstract ways of being, the magic that exists when two people interact depend directly upon loyalty.
Loyalty makes the magic of D/s slavery work deep and meaningful wonders for Dominant and slave both.
by slave s
