“A school community that feels like a family; everyone working towards a common goal; united as a team; a place that includes everyone.”
Throughout the month, you might have seen and/or heard this quote from our wise headmaster, Rodger Wright. However, this is only a broad definition of unity. What does ‘being united’ actually mean? Why is it important?
Being united is essentially a group of people with the same goals who put aside their differences and think of themselves as one.
Unity can be the difference between success and defeat in teamwork activities, such as sports, office work, and medical tasks. A group that sees itself as individuals with different goals expends too much energy on separate issues, while a united team efficiently puts all its effort towards one cause.
However, unity is difficult to achieve, especially for groups with more members. Conflicting views on politics, religion, and the like are one factor. Pessimistic, lazy, and arrogant people, as well as poor leadership, also bring down a team’s ability to unite.
But persevering through these problems is possible. And for this to happen, everyone will have to make small sacrifices. Reschedule a dentist appointment to help bring a group one step closer to unity. Include everyone in every activity, even the people you can barely tolerate. Though they may feel burdensome, tasks such as these have long-term benefits that make a team more unified, and therefore stronger.
Here are a few more quotes about this valuable trait:
“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” – J.K. Rowling
“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek
By: Elisa Sung