Loyalties

Justice is the term we use to describe how we equalize things between two parties. The parties can also be two groups of people with common interests. High Schools, clubs, companies, they all want agreements honored in order to remain friendly toward each other. It is perceived injustices that cause people to become enemies. The word "honor" means that we do our best to keep things equal. It doesn't matter if it is material or reputation, to honor is to give what is due; such as honoring an agreement or standing up for someone. We have all experienced the situation when a person hurts us. Another person might have a different perspective on what is just and honorable or have different expectations than we do. If it is contracting work, the more the expectations are defined in a contract, the less likely a misunderstanding will occur. In day to day friendships the expectations can be vague. Our own might be to high or the other person's too low. That is where openness and understanding help clear things up. Understanding is one of the greatest skills to possess; both for oneself and toward others.

We talked about commonalities in relationships and how they were the most stable factors. People associate with those they have something in common with. It can be in a strict sense such as family or in a broad sense such as country. People are willing to die for those who have something in common with them. Churches, political parties, races, and communities all do their best to get people to associate themselves with them since loyalty gives them power. It is the same toward our friends too. We feel secure when those around us are loyal and so we do our best to create that environment. People can become selfish and play off loyalties. We like it when our kids stand up for themselves when their friends try to lead them astray. This is also honorable in a larger sense. We have to take inventory at times and and apply limitations since governments and friendships can become unjust by making unreasonable demands.

Friendships based in utility are quickly dissolved when the usefulness is over. They are based on productivity and so we consider the friendship incidental. Countries might have treaties to protect interests. We are less willing to die for material interests but if it is something in common such as "freedom" we feel all men should have it. It is this the commonality that brings stability and justification to go to war. Those opposed will naturally characterize it as a lust for conquest or some kind of greed for materials.

Pleasure based friendships can be said to be entertainment based. As long as a person is entertaining we will put up with alot of things. It is funny how some entertainers give advise though, thinking they have commonality friends because they are popular. Since entertainment friendships are conditional, they can be lonely. There is a certain instability knowing that once you aren't entertaining any more, the friendships will also be over. Singers, actors and athletes deal with this. But even in our close relationships health and looks can change and make it less enjoyable and so commonalities keep it stable. There are those we enjoy to go out with since they are so much fun but to live with them would be another thing. As long as both parties have a realistic view on what they want out of it there is less cause for slight and misunderstandings.

The commonalities between lovers are nuanced and hard to explain. We try to come up with all sorts of ways to explain it from fate to predestination to preconceived notions. But there is a commonality of the soul that some people possess. We wonder what they see in each other. That is a subject all its own.

I think we have exhausted this subject but I have enjoyed it myself anyways. It is fun to take thoughts and interactions and organize them in the same way a person keeps house...Mine can get messy in the process but the end product is worth it.