Two Sticks - a story of community

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  An old African king is laying on his deathbed. He hands a short, sturdy stick to each of the family members gathered around. "Break the stick in half"  he instructs them. With some effort, they all snap their sticks in half. "This is how it is when a soul is alone without anyone. They can be easily broken."

  Then, the old king gives each another stick, and says, "put your sticks together in bundles of two's and three's. Now, break the bundle in half."

  No one can break the sticks when there are two or more in a bundle. The wise king smiles and says, "We are strong when we stand with another soul. When we are with another, we cannot be broken."