Importance of Unity

The strategic British rulers used the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy to exploit the constantly bickering states and then ruled over them in a very despotic high-handed manner. In Indian history, dictatorial powers have taken advantage of the in-fighting, disunity and disarray of the feudal states.

History teaches us the importance of unity. If a country is united, nothing can shake or unsettle it. Disunity can cause it to be torn asunder in the face of formidable and hostile forces. Former American President Abraham Lincoln said, on the eve of the American Civil War, “A house divided cannot stand”, and pleaded to the American people for unity between the north and south of North America, on the issue of keeping slaves.

In every situation in life, unity is necessary for survival. If one is self-centred, thinking of individual success and accomplishment instead of the team’s overall interest, it can be detrimental to the team. From medieval history to Business Process Outsourcing call centres, all need leaders to possess team spirit for meeting productivity goals in given deadlines. How true is the acronym, ‘TEAM’, which can stand for, ‘Together, Everyone Achieves More.’

Unity is required by units that constitute a society, and that is, families. Even if the families once in a way squabble, argue and bicker among themselves, they should patch up and resolve the differences to give a united façade to the outside world. In families where crisis and rifts are not tided over, greedy relatives can take advantage and exploit the family. In this milieu, how true is the adage on the important gain of being united, “The family that prays together stays together.”

A couple had five sons, always squabbling. The father told the first son to take five sticks, tie them together and try to break them. Obviously, he couldn’t. Then, the father untied the sticks, gave one stick to each son and told them to break the sticks. They all did so easily. The fathertold them, “In life, if one is united as a family and works as a team, one can achieve wonders. If one is disunited, one can fall in the face of formidable opponents eager to take advantage of the weak spot.”

Therefore, the motto of this article is Abraham Lincoln’s quote, where his actual words are, “United we stand, divided we fall.”