Together we stand

A house divided against itself cannot stand. It is such a short sentence and still it says so much . It holds in it the basic principle of how a society can work as well as it can . President Lincoln quoted this verse during the Civil War to emphasize why he could not permit the country to become permanently divided because unity is the most important part of a nation. People can do so much more united than they can ever do if divided. Many people attribute the origin of the phrase to Abraham Lincoln. However, he was drawing on the words of Jesus in the Bible: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand (Matthew 12: 24-26). He knew his audience would understand its meaning: slavery and freedom were incompatible. The institution of slavery was a fatal flaw in the American republic. Either the United States must eventually rid itself of slavery and become a truly free nation, or slavery would take hold in every state. While Lincoln was not particularly known as a religious man, he certainly recognized that biblical principles apply to everyday circumstances that life brings our way. They spoke truth to Lincoln then and they should speak truth to Christians today. Every family, every organization and every movement struggles with the problem of internal divisions. Not only is there division on the outside, but there is division on the inside. Many internal conflicts emerge from a struggle over control. If youre married, and you and your spouse are constantly divided and at each others throats, eventually your marriage will result in failure. It will end in divorce or at a minimum, an unhealthy, unhappy place. If youve ever worked in or on a crew, or had a coworker that you didnt get along with or a roommate you couldnt stand, I bet the relationship didnt last. For a family unit to work well (since no family is perfect) all of the members of that family have to have some common

ground and stand together in the important things while still having the freedom each of them may need at times. A house cannot be stable and strong to itself when divided. Here, the division refers to the various mentalities and perceptions of the different members of the family. If they all think alike, they will all be united forever and no one could do anything to break it. However, if they keep fighting and disagreeing with each other all the time, the family will eventually break. When all members of the family unit share some common ground, they will stand together as one when they are at a loss or when something tragic happens.

From the very beginning every child becomes accustomed to live in a way that never in the short span of his life can he grasp the significance of what it means to stay in a joint family. A house which is internally divided does not even get its share of happiness; the happiness that is the right of each and every member of the family. When a family or family members are not closely knit together, the outsiders take advantage of the situation and the family members are left with nothing. Just like it is impossible to break a few sticks which are tied up together instead of a single stick, similarly it is impossible to harm a family where the family members stay deeply united throughout their life. When unity is absent among the members of the family, peace of mind also ceases to exist. Throughout the history of the United States there have been ups and downs, problems and solutions and separations and reunions, just like in any family. But if we start small and try each and every day to make our world a better place, if we are united, we can make it happen. Nothing can stand in our way, because we are the ones we've been waiting for, so be unselfish. That is the first and final commandment for those who would be useful and happy in their usefulness. If you think of yourself only, you cannot develop because you are choking the source of development , as Charles W. Eliot said. Instead, you can be a person who, not only preaches but acts upon those words of wisdom: United we stand , divided we fall. Cortea Vera Colegiul National I.C.Bratianu Profesor Mihail Codruta