LoyaltyandBetrayal.PDF

LOYALTY AND BETRAYAL Loyalty and Betrayal By Chi Li (China) Without a specific subject, loyalty and betrayal for me is only a pair of concepts that float in an abstract space of literature. For instance, a language instructor might use them in class as an example of a pair of antonyms. But if Im going find a subject to apply these two words to, then that subject should be a military man. Because the responsibility of a military man is simple: he has his own absolute master to serve. For this master, loyalty is this military mans virtue, while betrayal is his sin. For a military man, moral standards are regimented. But literature has no place within the sphere of war. This is exactly why literature is invaluable. Military conflicts are one kind of war, but politics or economy can be other kinds. As long as national boundaries continue to be demarcated and there are resources and profits to scramble for, war will go on existing in various forms. If you look carefully, you would notice that there are lots of wars in our lives. For example, the endless war between smokers and non-smokers. Smokers infringe the right of non-smokers to a smoke-free environment. By instituting the laws, non-smokers, in turn, deprive the right of smokers to smoke. Obviously, this antagonism will never end. Maybe these wars without arms don’t threaten our lives, but somehow they are more common and more serious; they happen all around us. Children cant choose their parents. A person cant choose their ethnicity. Marriage can be seen as a war between two people. Society at large does not judge people on a case by case basis. There are only necessary, inevitable laws and regulations to enforce. At times, they seem to be more authoritarian than democratic. Moreover, in any configuration of society or in any group of people, there are innumerous ethical norms and social mores waiting to pounce. Sometimes youre asked to