Lynn+F

Lynn Fankhauser

"The good men may do separately is small compared with what they may do collectively." What more can be said on this magnificent quote other than its true definition: What people can do alone is very insignificant next to what they can accomplish together.​

​ That quote was originally thought of long ago, during the 1700s, although its meaning still has value in the modern day. It has been proven numerous times throughout history, and every day, that nothing can be fully accomplished alone. It is always a team or partner effort that is most successful in acquiring a victory or even completing a simple task.

The man who came up with that quote was brilliant-minded. If he saw a problem in everyday life, Benjamin made an attempt to invent a solution to improve the situation. However, if he had not seen that others were having difficulty, he would not have been as provoked to investigate and find a cure for an average person's needs. As an example, Ben Franklin's brother suffered from kidney stones, and Ben wished to help as he could. He ended up inventing the first successful urinary catheter in America. He also took an observation from the Chinese in how they modeled their ships' holds so that a leak would not spread and eventually sink the ship. He saw flaws in using a fireplace as a source of heat in a person's home, and thought of a better way to keep the citizens warm- the iron furnace (The Franklin Institute website: [] ).

A similar concept still goes on in modern day, only much less "helpful". For example, if there is an army general that has completed all his proper training and has earned many badges and awards and has proven himself numerous times over many years, he cannot fulfill a military career without an army to train. An emperor cannot have authority if he does not have citizens to rule over. A doctor cannot find a cure for a disease or virus if he is not aware of an occurring infection. A ship captain is not really a captain unless he has a crew to order. Even a teacher is not a teacher without pupils ready to learn.

On my own account, I also find that it is hard to accomplish things by oneself. As far as sports go, it has never been a single player who defeats the defense- it is always the team. In classes, it is very difficult to absorb every fact and lesson you have learned in a day, and when an assignment is given, it is very unlikely that a student will complete every piece of work entirely alone- a classmate or friend is usually always involved in the pursuit to find correct answers. In an average home, there is quite a few times where other members of that household are needed for assistance, whether the situation involves moving furniture, cleaning around or inside the residence, or simply having to reach a higher shelf than you can manage. One of my favorite examples that I have discovered recently is that one cannot fall in love unless another proves to be an acceptable match.

The simple theory that people do not accomplish much by themselves obviously has a meaning today comparable to the meaning it had centuries ago. The only difference is that, in modern day, humans have showed quite an expansion on that theory- for the better, I might add.