A long time ago there lived an old man and his two sons Sam and Robert. Sam and Robert always fought to show who was stronger.

One day, Sam won a game. He ran to their father and said, "Oh father look at me. I am stronger that Robert!” The next day when they played together, Robert won. He also ran happily to tell their father.

"Daddy I won too. I must be stronger, right?” Robert said.
Their father was really worried about the boy’s competition. So one day he called both his sons.

"Sam and Robert, come and sit here with me. I want to show you something,” he said. He ordered them to bring a bundle of seven sticks tied together. After that he looked at Sam and said, "Break it.”

Sam tried with all his strength to break the stick but failed.
Then their father smiled at him and told Sam to give the bundle to his brother Robert.

"Break it Robert,” he said. Robert tried and tried but he couldn’t do it.

"Untie the bundle,” said the father, "…and each of you take a stick.”

When they had done so, he told them, "Now, break the sticks.” Each stick was easily broken.

Finally the two brothers understood why competing and then fighting was bad. This means that if we stay together in unity just like the bundle, we cannot be broken and separated, but if we are alone we are easily broken.

Competing is not bad as long as you do not fight afterwards. When we lose or win a game or competition, it does not mean that we fight each other.

Instead, we can learn from our mistakes. You never know that you will win the next time. Remember always that your strength is always among those around you if you remain united.

Ends