The Bundle of Sticks
Adapted from an Aesop’s fable.
Once upon a time, an old woman lived on a beautiful farm in the country. Fromher window, she could see pasture land, fields of grain, barns filled with animals,
orchards and forests beyond. The farm was special to the old woman because it
had been in her family for many generations. She had lived there her whole life,
and grew up to be a mother, and raised her family of ____ (Leader – Count the
number of children in your class). Now her husband was dead, and she too was
in the last days of her life.
The old woman should have been content after such a fortunate life, but she was
not. She lay on her bed worrying about her grown children. They could not seem
to get along. She heard them quarreling day and night. Even though some of
them were good at farming, and some at working with the animals, some at
carpentry, and others at cooking or preserving the food they grew, they each
thought their job was the most important and that the others didn’t work hard
enough. They were all grown-ups now, but they held grudges against each other
from things in the past, and they were jealous of each other’s good fortune.
The old woman tried talking to her children about living in peace, yet they
seemed to grow increasingly bitter by the day. She felt sure that they would not
be able to keep the family farm after she had died, because they could not seem
to work together or appreciate each other’s gifts.
Then one day as her strength waned, she had an idea. She called her children to
her bedside. “I have one last favor to ask of you,” she said. “I would like each one
of you to go to the forest and find two sticks. Bring them here tomorrow and I will
explain.”
The children did as she asked and came to her room the next day, with two
sticks each. (Leader – At this point, hand each child two craft sticks.)
“Thank you children,” the old woman said. “Please put one of your sticks down,
and see if you can break the other one in half.” The children easily broke their
sticks in half. (Leader – Invite the children to try to break one stick in half with
their hands.)
Then the old woman asked the children to pass her the remaining whole sticks.
“Let us gather the remaining sticks into a bundle,” she said. (Leader – Gather the
remaining sticks from the children and wrap the rubber band around them. Make
sure there are at least seven sticks in the bundle, or add more to represent
missing children, co-leaders, guests who have visited Moral Tales, etc. to make
the bundle thicker.)
Then the old woman passed the bundle back to her children and said, “Please
pass this bundle of sticks amongst you and tell me – is it as easy to break the
bundle as it was the single stick?” (Pass the bundle to the child nearest you and
allow them to try to break it. Tell them to only use their hands. Some children will
try to use feet or even to take the bundle apart. Wait until all of the children have
had a turn trying to break the bundle with their hands.)
The children passed the bundle amongst them but, just like you, none of them
could break the bundle of sticks.
“You my children, are like these sticks,” the old woman said. “If you go your
separate ways, quarrelling, and holding resentments toward one another, you will
each be alone like the individual sticks. The difficulties of life will easily hurt you.
But if you work together, appreciate each other’s strengths, cherish what you
share in common, and care for each other, you will be strong like the bundle of
sticks, and nothing in life can break you. Find strength and joy in one another’s
company, and you will live well and accomplish much.”
The children took their mother’s lesson to heart, letting go of past grudges,
focusing on what they shared in common, appreciating each other’s strengths,
and working together. The old woman died peacefully, and the farm remained in
the family for many generations.
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Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
