Before joining Unity, 17591 lived for competition. Victory brought exhilaration, the kind of pride that came from proving himself better than the man across from him. But victory was never guaranteed. And when defeat came, it cut deeply. After one particularly crushing loss, he sat alone outside the locker room, still wearing his hockey gear. The game had ended in a shutout. In his mind, the blame belonged to him. Thinking this, he couldn’t face his teammates. So, he sat there in silence, staring at the floor, replaying every mistake in his head and wondering if he truly belonged on the team at all.
In his moment of isolation, he felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. “What has you down, brother?” a calm voice asked. Looking up, he saw a man standing over him in navy coveralls. A neatly knotted tie rested against a white shirt, and across the man’s chest was stitched both the word UNITY and a designation: 90304.
Unsure how to respond, 17591 eventually told him everything; he spoke of the loss, the disappointment, and the feeling that he had let everyone down. 90304 listened patiently letting the man speak his mind. When he finished, the Unity brother simply smiled.
“You are not alone,” 90304 said. “The world teaches men to compete as individuals. To tie their worth to victory. But that lesson leads only to shame when defeat comes.” He continued by speaking of Discipline, Order, and Clarity. 90304 wasn’t speaking of training or more practice. He spoke of Unity. “In Unity,” 90304 explained, “pride does not come from standing above your brothers. It comes from standing with them, serving the collective.” He paused before adding, “You can come to the Unity Center. There you can receive re-education.”
“Re-education?” 17591 asked cautiously.
“The world has taught you incorrectly,” 90304 replied calmly. “Unity will help you unlearn what has harmed you.” With little left to lose, 17591 followed him. At the Unity Center, he saw men dressed just like 90304, navy coveralls, ties neatly aligned, each bearing only a designation number. They carried themselves with quiet confidence and purpose.
Standing there, still in his sweaty hockey pads, 17591 suddenly felt out of place. Watching this, 90304 took notice. “There is no shame in Unity,” he assured him. “Alignment comes with time.”
“Can you show me?” 17591 asked.
Today, 17591 serves proudly among his brothers. The hockey pads and skates are gone, replaced with coveralls and polished shoes. He no longer plays for a team. He belongs to a collective. And thanks to 90304, 17591 finally knows where he belongs.
