Infighting

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

We may now travel via motorised-carriages instead of horse-carriages, but the validity of Abraham Lincoln’s historic mantra hasn’t changed. Throughout the ages, infighting only brings ruin or diminished returns, yet Man has been unable to eradicate it, for pushing one’s agenda over another usually seems to be one’s dominant strategy.

Yet the tapestry of history is also replete with epics about legendary leaders who unified fractious factions, built empires and brought about prosperity for their citizens. Genghis Khan united the querulous Mongolian tribes; Ottoman von Bismarck created a central power from the fractious German hordes. These great statesmen had similar qualities, among which the charm to induce cooperation and the iron-will to crush dissent.

And now, as my office begins to resemble a cauldron of egos and differing agendas (with a dash of internal bickering), I wonder whether a leader with the aforementioned qualities will emerge from the chaos.

It shall be interesting to watch from the sidelines.