Empires advanced unity by promising universal benefit

I once managed a 20-country volunteer network. We were fractured, each region moaning about funding, logistics, and cultural clashes. I was tired of firefighting every squabble. So I tried a gospel of unity: “We’re one movement to protect endangered languages—this is our common empire.” I designed a shared emblem, half-painted by Aboriginal elders, half by Inuit artists. Each region co-signed the charter with their own seal.

At first, it felt cheesy. But the moment Kyrgyz volunteers heard they were as essential as Māori singers, something shifted. They adorned their jackets with the new emblem—and soon so did the French translators, the North American teachers, every camper we served. Quarterly calls moved from status-reports to strategy-sessions for the empire’s well-being.

We went from two squabbling camps to a unified force that wielded real political clout—lobbying UNESCO to protect minorities worldwide. Funding doubled, attrition halved, and volunteers began recommending each other. All because we reimagined our scope from local islands into a single, inclusive empire devoted to a universal cause.

Tonight, sketch your own emblem—a circle, a motif—that mixes your project’s many cultures and specialties. Draft a 30-second mission statement pivoting on universal benefit. Send it out with an invitation: “Wear this symbol tomorrow to show we’re all in this together.” Then watch the borders between your islands blur.