Many have heard the phrase “United we stand, divided we fall.” Perhaps it is best known from a speech given by Abraham Lincoln on June 16, 1858, at the Illinois Republican State Convention. But it is clearly an ancient Biblical precept well worth remembering.

In a recent article analyzing the crisis in the Ukraine, former German Defense Secretary Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg called for coordinated action by EU and the U.S., and he criticized their lethargy and dis-unified front. He also called for greater German leadership in the crisis: “My fellow countrymen will not be happy to hear this, but Germany will have to play a core role in this process.

The deadliest plague ever to hit mankind killed between 30-50 million people during the 6th century AD—nearly one half of the Earth’s population (Times of Malta, January 28, 2014). “Some 800 years later, the Black Death wiped out 50 million Europeans between 1347 and 1351” (ibid.).

“In late January, California officials, for the first time in the 54-year history of the State Water Project, announced they were cutting off the flow of water from the northern part of the state to the south, affecting both farms and cities… This as California’s Central Valley, producer of half of America’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts, is experiencing its worst drought on record” (Christian Science Monitor, February 19, 2014).