Loyalty and Knighthood

Never since I was a little child, knight fascinates me.
With their shinning armor, trusty sword and handsome face, they were my first 'race addiction' (Just like those who were obsessed with vampires, werewolves, zombies etc.)
I was so fascinated by them that my first online nickname is: EmperKnight (A cross between Emperor and Knight) I even took the trouble to dismantle those wood planks from my bunk bed and decorate them like swords so I can play knights in my room.

Aside from their appearance, another thing that made me attracted to knight characters is their ideology and principle of life.
What about their ideology and principle of life?

Loyalty to the ones you serve

Correct me if I'm wrong but from all those knights stories I had watched, they all lived with one principle: Loyalty.

Loyalty can be in different forms.

Loyalty to the kingdom

Loyalty to his master

Loyalty to his princess

Loyalty to his family

And the list goes on, but no matter who they are loyal with, once they serve you, they serve you until their dying breaths. That is what makes knights noble and gallant and deserves respect. It is not their sword or shining armor, it is their way of life. Giving your whole life into serving someone or some institution is not what most people want to commit. Most people would want to live their life themselves, not others.

In my life, I stick to this 'Way of the Knight'

One of my highest values is loyalty.
I won't betray or disappoint someone who did a good deed towards me.

Because I believe that those people helped me, and because of that somehow, I'm successful. Therefore, I need to be loyal towards them.

Same goes to my school and the orchestra.

Although I had some bad memories relating to that places, but without it, I won't be where I'm now.

That's why I'm fired up when I got a chance to serve back the school or the orchestra.

Give back what they had given

Maybe not the equal in material

But equal in value

Why am I talking about loyalty?

Specifically, loyalty towards the country

Because I found an interesting trend of selfish people nowadays.

Especially regarding career choices.

Why did you choose to be a doctor?

For the cash and money la bro...

Engineer? Wow, that's cool!

Of course, the pay is high!

Those statements made me wonder. People are driven by money. Their eyes are on money, not the greater things beyond.

I believe that every career choices supposed to be for the development of the country, not for monetary benefit.

Yeah sure, the pay is high but that is more to a secondary objective.

The primary objective here is to serve the society....serve THE COUNTRY!

That is why civil services here in Malaysia is not up to par...Everyone is thinking about money. Money is the goal. Salary is the zenith of my career. I'm working just for the sake of money.

When money took over one's mind, he or she will lose their humanity in work.

Why they are thinking about money?

It is because they lack loyalty to the country and didn't want to serve the country.

Okay, maybe people will ask.

My family is financially unstable, I need to work for money.

But then, I think that will put you into a circle.

Unstable finance->Work for money->Became robotic->Sucky performance->Hard to increase salary->Unstable finance

If we try to think our objective is to serve the country

Serve the country->Happy with work->Increase in performance->Increase in salary->Stable finance

Another thing I noticed is the trend of staying overseas after finishing their studies.

All for what?

MONEY

Loyalty for money

Not the country.

Which caused us be to brain drained.

Imagine how many bright students we lost due to brain drain. And they are helping big and established country like USA or UK while leaving their development homeland, Malaysia suffering from lack of talents which we need to outsource to the immigrants

And now you complain the lack of professional workers.

The lack of loyalty to the country is the reason why we are slow on productivity.

Why won't you serve your own country?

The place where you were born, raised, educate.

Don't you want to give back to the country?

So it could be a better place for your kids?

Why work so hard for money?

As it is a short term pleasure.

But, when you work for your country

Be loyal to your country

You will be proud when you see your kids gaining a lot of benefits

From the work you had done in the past.