Steadfast in support and devotion to and never betraying the interests of one's homeland, government, or sovereign. For most of the 2,000 years since, few would have disagreed with his call for loyalty to the gods, to the state, to family and to duty. But loyalty, that once-essential virtue, is fading fast, and our sense of community and identity is disappearing with it.
Recent headlines tell some of the story.
Last month, actress Elizabeth Taylor filed for divorce from husband No. 8, and all it merited was a news brief. We've become used to the breakdown in marital loyalty. The Canadian divorce rate has shot up by 400 per cent since 1970. This week, it was Wayne Gretzky who quit on a relationship. He pushed the Los Angeles Kings to trade him to the St. Louis Blues because he wants to be on a winning team.