An elderly man was concerned as his 6 children were not getting along. As he was nearing the end of his life, he wanted so such to see them united and collaborate together before he dies. So one day he called them into his room with his wife next to him, and asked them to sit down in a circle. Then he showed them some reeds and asked his first son to break one of the reeds. The son just broke it without any effort. He asked the second daughter to do the same, and all the others, all breaking a reed given to them by their father. Then the father tied six reeds together and gave them to his first son and asked him to break them. He tried with all his might but was not able to break them. His siblings tried, one by one, but no one was able to crack them. When he saw this, the father told them,’ you see, my dear children, the reed by itself was so weak that it broke pretty easily, but when joined with the other 5, it gained a special kind of strength. It’s the same with you all. If you are divided among yourselves, people will tear you apart and destroy you. But if you are united, no one can do anything to hurt you or damage your lives and your family.’ The 6 brothers and sisters looked at each other, and clearly understood the message their father wanted to give them.
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