Bushido Virtue #7 Chugi - Loyalty

In America today, loyalty can be seen in many forms.  The most blatant example might be avid sports fans.  Even when a beloved team is having a terrible season, a loyal fan will still cheer them on, hope for the best; and even attend games where a loss is expected.

When the going in life gets rough, however, do we stay the course?  Do we remain focused on our path and our goals and refuse to allow what’s around us drag us off course? 

The last of the traditional Bushido tenets, loyalty, or chugi in Japanese, seems to be the epitomal manifestation of the previous six tenets in a samurai’s life. 

Judging from the origins of the word according to Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, its meaning is rooted in “allegiance to the sovereign or established government of one’s country”.  Over time, loyalty has come to embody allegiance to just about anything.  Dictionary.com defines loyalty as “faithfulness to commitments or obligations” and gives fealty, devotion, constancy, and fidelity as synonyms.  Inherent in all of these descriptions is that loyalty comes from a choice.

 

So, first and foremost, to what are we loyal?  Our dojo, sensei, fellow karate-ka?  Our family, friends, country?  Our faith?  Bushido itself?  Ourselves?

Secondly, how deeply are we loyal?  On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your loyalty to your martial arts training?  To the study of Bushido?  To striving for excellence not only during class but every second of every day?

If you ask a black belt, your spouse, a co-worker what their honest appraisal of your loyalty is, would you truly honestly be willing to hear what they say?  Even better, what would you do with what they say?

Ultimately, the choice is up to you.  Loyalty springs from understanding and choosing to follow the previous virtues of Bushido.  The path lies before you, clear and well-traveled for centuries.  Many travel it now and you will not be alone when the going gets tough.  Will you stay the course?