LOYALTY HAS ALMOST GONE EXTINCT

Several American companies, including a few
dot-com giants, have each laid off thousands of
people in recent weeks, people who were once
aggressively recruited but soon became as
disposable as Pamela Anderson's clothing. Some
of these people worked extremely hard for their
employer, so hard that they skipped their close
friends' weddings. And now they find themselves
asking, "Whatever happened to loyalty?"

Loyalty. It was once something we could count on,
like a regular visit from the neighbors. But loyalty
has gradually given way to self-interest, just as the
neighbors have gradually turned into "that weird
family next door."

If loyalty were an object, you'd soon find it on
display at a famous museum, right next to the
dodo bird. And people would walk by and say, "It
seems so beautiful. Too bad it's extinct. Hey, look
over there! I think it's Monica Lewinsky's dress."

Yes, loyalty is indeed an endangered concept.
Everywhere you look, it seems to be dying.
People aren't even loyal to their spouses anymore.
Remember when the phrase "Till death do us part"
meant something? If you do, you're getting
REALLY OLD!

Imagine a modern couple: They love each other
so much, they don't let a single day go by without
uttering those three important words: "Where's the
remote?" Even when they're miles apart, they
show their love by forwarding e-mail to each other.

But what if something terrible happens to one
spouse, such as a disabling accident? Does the
other remain loyal? Only if they're really special. In
many cases, the other spouse dashes off faster
then Marion Jones.

Our loyalty to friends is no better. Some friendships
do last a lifetime, but most last only until the beer
runs out.

Many of us are guilty of gossiping about friends.
"Did you hear what happened to Jill? She
accidentally fed her husband dog food. He was
really upset at her and said, 'How come you don't
cook this good all the time?'"

And what happens when a friend is moving and
needs help lifting furniture? Do we volunteer? No
way. We wait until the friend asks, then say, "What
date are you moving? The 25th? Oh, that's too
bad, I have to wash my underwear that day. It's
been on my calendar for over a year."

And what about loyalty to employers? Well, they're
not loyal to you, so you're not loyal to them. Today,
you're the toast of the company, getting promoted
to a plush office on the 49th floor and rubbing
shoulders with the CEO's secretary. Tomorrow,
you're just a number, one of 5,000 people being
shown the door. "Don't feel bad," the human
resources director says. "At least you've earned a
lot of stock in our company. If the stock market
bounces back, you can trade it all for a nice,
comfortable pair of socks."

Even product loyalty -- perhaps the least admirable
but most enduring form of loyalty -- has taken a
beating. Say you enjoy drinking Sprite. When you
go to the store, it's not on sale, so you buy an
imitation brand called Spite. You're saving lots of
money, so you ignore the slogan on the label:
"Contains more spite than the average rap album."
After just one drink, you can't help hating
everybody. And pretty soon, you've got your own
record contract.

Yes, disloyalty does pay off now and then, but in
the long run, it won't taste as sweet as loyalty.