Devon was having another panic attack, this time worse than normal. He was out of his medications and couldn’t seem to work himself out of it. He knew he had coping techniques, but none of them seemed to do the trick, so he called 911.

The ambulance arrived in less than 10 minutes, and two men in what appeared to be navy boiler suits, white shirts, black ties, and black work boots polished to perfection with the patch UNITY on one side and a number on the other came out. They knocked on Devon’s door, announced they were EMS, and came inside.

“What’s going on today? Why did you call 911?” the EMT who referred to himself as 91624 asked. “I’m having a panic attack and I think I need to see a doctor,” replied Devon.

91761, the other EMT, chimed in “We can take you to the nearest hospital if you’d like. The doctors there are orderly and disciplined, and will help you find clarity.”

Devon nodded and walked with the UNITY brothers to the ambulance, which was navy blue and white, just like their uniforms. Inside the ambulance seemed like any other, but there was something different about the shelf where linens go. Instead of blankets and sheets, there were more navy coveralls, white shirts, and ties, just like the brothers were wearing.

“Ahh, I see you looking at our spare uniforms. We keep them here just in case anyone needs a new change of clothes. Would you like to try one on?” 91761 asked Devon. Devon nodded.

By the time the ambulance arrived at UNITY hospital, Devon was dressed in a UNITY uniform that had the designation 91873. on it. Already, with his tie straightened by 91624, the new brother was feeling better. He felt a sense of belonging, and he was grateful to the brothers for helping his mind calm down.

Inside the hospital, a mini UNITY center awaited 91873. He handed them his old clothes to be recycled into a higher purpose, and went inside to learn more about UNITY and how it would benefit his being.

Jason knew the gym was where he needed to be after work every day or else he’d start getting depressed, so he signed up for one of the UNITY gyms near his apartment. Inside, a clean white gym with navy machines were arranged in an orderly fashion. Men working out in the UNITY uniform Jason had seen around town were everywhere.

“Hello! This brother is glad to see a new member at the gym!” said brother 91624. Jason couldn’t see under his navy coveralls if he was muscular or not, but saw a smile on 91624’s face that showed sincerity in his statement. “Before you enter the gym, we require all members to wear a UNITY uniform to ensure proper discipline when working out. There is a brother in the locker room ready to assist you in proper compliance.

The UNITY brother then handed Jason a folded set of navy coveralls, a crisp white button up shirt, black tie, white socks, white briefs, and shiny black dress shoes. Everything in Jason’s size. Jason was briefly stunned at how the brother knew his information, but moved to the locker room quickly as more brothers were coming in to work out, and he didn’t want to be in the way.

Inside the locker room, brothers were preparing for their workouts and new members were getting dressed in the UNITY coveralls and uniform. Jason wasn’t prepared to get changed as he was wearing his usual gym clothes, but he decided to change into the UNITY uniform so as not to stick out. “Let me help you with that,” said a brother. 72345 was his designation. Jason thanked the brother as the brother straightened Jason’s tie and zipped up his coveralls. Once the zipper was at the top, Jason saw himself in the mirror and thought he didn’t look half bad.

Once he was in the throes of working out, Jason started thinking to himself how he would enjoy joining UNITY, not realizing the UNITY pledge and tenants were playing over the gym loudspeakers underneath some generic music. By the end of his workout, he handed his unaligned clothing to the front desk to be recycled and began referring to himself by his designation: 91873.

The morning horn sounded at 06:00 Center Time.

Across Unity Center 1818H, thousands of brothers prepared for another day of labor, education, physical training, and service.

Among them were Brother 90304 and Brother 91698.

Both brothers had been assigned to Community Discipline and Order Service for the day’s labor cycle.

The assignment carried no special prestige.

No additional privileges accompanied the work.

Yet both brothers accepted the posting with visible satisfaction.

Every assignment served Renewal.

Every assignment strengthened Unity.

⸻

After Morning Assembly and the Nutritional Cycle, the brothers reported to Grounds Coordination Sector 7.

The objectives were clear.

• Mow and maintain exterior green sectors

• Remove debris from pedestrian pathways

• Organize storage facilities

• Trim decorative hedges and flora on Center grounds.

• Inspect public seating areas

• Ensure orderly presentation of Unity Center grounds

Brother-Coordinator 24338 reviewed the day’s requirements.

Brother 62531 distributed equipment.

No further instruction proved necessary.

The work would speak for itself.

⸻

The morning remained pleasant.

The afternoon did not.

By midday, temperatures had risen considerably throughout the Center grounds.

The sun reflected brightly from the white stone walkways and brilliantly painted and polished administrative buildings.

Perspiration became unavoidable.

Uniform collars became damp.

Hands grew tired.

The work remained demanding.

Yet neither brother complained.

Complaint solved nothing.

Discipline solved much.

The two brothers worked together as a pair throughout the cycle.

When one completed a sector, the other assisted.

When one finished loading equipment, the other organized supplies.

The rhythm of cooperation required little discussion.

Years of Alignment had transformed cooperation into habit.

⸻

Shortly after midday, while trimming a garden sector near Assembly Hall 2, Brother 90304 paused briefly.

The heat had loosened the knot of his black tie.

The tie sat unevenly beneath the collar of his white shirt.

Brother 91698 immediately noticed.

Without comment, he stepped forward.

The adjustment required only a few seconds.

The knot was tightened.

The collar straightened.

Presentation standards restored.

Brother 90304 nodded once.

Brother 91698 returned the gesture.

No additional words proved necessary.

The black tie represented more than a uniform component-

It symbolized shared standards.

Shared expectations.

Shared purpose.

Maintaining those standards for fellow brothers represented a small but meaningful act of Brotherhood.

The labor cycle continued.

⸻

Hours passed.

Grass disappeared beneath orderly mowing patterns.

Storage sectors became organized.

Walkways became spotless.

Garden beds became symmetrical.

Equipment inventories became accurate.

What had begun as ordinary maintenance gradually became something larger.

Evidence of Discipline.

Evidence of Order.

Evidence of Clarity.

By late afternoon, Unity Center 1818H appeared transformed.

The grounds seemed sharper.

Cleaner.

More intentional.

Visitors arriving for Evening Assembly would see the results immediately.

Not the designations of the brothers who performed the work.

Only the work itself.

Unity considered this appropriate.

The collective benefited.

Individual recognition remained unnecessary.

⸻

As the labor horn signaled cycle completion, Brother-Coordinator 24338 conducted the final inspection. Brother 62531 accompanied him.

The results exceeded expectations.

Every assigned sector met operational standards.

Several surpassed them.

Brother 24338 turned toward the two workers.

“Conduct reflects strong Discipline.”

Brother 62531 nodded.

“Collective presentation has been significantly improved.”

The statements were intended as commendation.

Within Unity, such acknowledgments remained sufficient.

Brother 90304 responded first.

“Hail Unity.”

Brother 91698 responded immediately afterward.

“Hail Unity.”

Nothing further was required.

The grounds had been restored and orderly aligned.

The assignment had been completed.

UNITY had advanced.

The satisfaction belonged not to either brother individually.

It belonged to the collective.

⸻

That evening, thousands of brothers crossed the manicured lawns and orderly pathways of Unity Center 1818H.

Most never learned who had completed the work.

Most never asked.

The grounds simply appeared as they should.

Ordered.

Disciplined.

Clear.

For Brothers 90304 and 91698, this was enough.

The labor cycle had fulfilled its purpose.

Tomorrow would bring another opportunity for service.

Another opportunity for Alignment.

Another opportunity for Renewal.

Discipline.

Order.

Clarity.

This balding, mustached brother once thought of himself as an outcast. As someone not enough. As a loner. That is, until he found UNITY.

After seeing many men online and in public wearing the classic navy coveralls, white crisp shirts, and black ties, 28405 thought he'd see what it was all about.

Now, he is a brother of UNITY. He hails by the tenants of Clarity, Discipline, and Order. Now, he is one with the brotherhood.

Hail Unity!

United by UNITY

Jolman and Morgan were both colossal screw-ups. From the age of 14 onward, both had been troublemakers and directionless losers. They shirked their chores, ignored their homework, repeatedly failed tests, and avoided any kind of responsibility.

Jolman came from a city background, whereas Morgan was a country boy. Neither knew of the other as their lives followed parallel paths right down the drain. By their late teens, they were both high school dropouts with no prospects in sight.

Cast out by their families, the two undisciplined louts drifted from couch to couch, staying with friends until they were inevitably tossed out again (and again). They experimented with drugs but never with work. They went through girls like Kleenex, shunning commitment. Before long, they racked up an embarrassing list of offenses, included but not limited to, driving under the influence, passing bad checks, possession with intent to sell, shoplifting, and vagrancy.

It seemed the two of them were destined for either a life in jail or being forced into military service, for which they were dreadfully ill-equipped. But then, a kind-hearted patrolman reached out to Jolman at about the same time a pleasant young man at a bus station did the same for Morgan.

They shared a leaflet for Unity.

The words therein, Discipline, Order, and Clarity, in the past would have sent either lad running. But somehow, this seemed different. This seemed like purpose. Like belonging. Like hope. Jolman made his way to the nearest Unity Center even as Morgan did the same, neither of them knowing they were headed to the exact same location.

Jolman and Morgan no more, they were now 66419 and 91743, and were assigned a room together. They felt an instant bond with one another. Be it because of the past they wished to shed or the new brotherhood they now shared, the duo of 66419 and 91743 became inseparable. They studied together, worked side by side, recited their oath together each morning, and threw themselves into community outreach with gusto. They had found themselves in Unity.

What's more, they had found each other.

66419 and 91743 fell in love and became life partners. Their brothers in Unity lavished them with congratulations and support. "I not only found meaning and purpose at Unity," 66419 was fond of saying, "I found my soulmate, too."

"Hail Unity, my brother love," 91743 said with all his heart.

Yes, indeed.

Hail Unity.

Finding His Place

Ryland had gotten tired of life at the prestigious academy he attended.

Each semester's tuition cost more than the average middle class family made in five years, and the fraternity to which he belonged was populated with spoiled rich boys who cared about only two things: Family names and designer labels.

They were a bunch of showoffs who dressed to impress, attending class dressed as if they were going to a royal event, and strutting all the way. Ryland's fraternity "brothers", Ashton, Kennedy, Briar, Preston, Sebastian, and Merritt never acted like brothers at all in their ongoing games of one-upsmanship. Ryland would bristle as his so-called brothers looked down on the hard-working young men who maintained their campus, taking on the dirty jobs of mopping the floors, cleaning restrooms, tending to the gardens, washing windows, and hauling garbage (to say nothing of cleaning up after the lads' excessive parties). Ryland appreciated their hard work, and admired their tireless efforts. He secretly wanted to be like them.

Ryland wanted out, but had nowhere to go. Surrounded by snot-nosed non-contributing snobs who covered themselves in expensive names like Versace, Louis Vitton, Rolex, and Armani, while over-decorating their fraternity house in Boca do Lobo, he saw no way out. If you came from money, this was the only place to be.

Until those smiling young men in the blue coveralls walked through the downtown plaza. They were dressed more like sanitation workers than the usual young men draped in high fashion, and the local elitists scoffed at their friendly demeanor and were infuriated by their ability to brush off their usual insults and crude remarks.

These fine young men, who seemed truly happy with their lives, were handing out leaflets about an organization--a new movement, really--Ryland had never heard of. Unity.

Now, THIS was a brotherhood. Their focus was on discipline, contribution, mutual support, and a blessed conformity to modest attire. Ryland felt his heart flutter at the thought of it. His fraternity "brothers" ganged up on Ryland immediately. "You're not actually considering this ridiculous little cult, are you?" And no, Ryland wasn't simply considering Unity.

He joined Unity.

It's now a year later, and Ryland knows with absolute certainty it was the best decision he ever made. Formerly Rylan Harrington Lenquist Barrymore III, 46791 has found true happiness in service and ACTUAL brotherhood. And his inclusive, simple blue coveralls bore only one label...the label of UNITY.

46791 even volunteers whenever he can to do the kind of work his former classmates scoffed at and ridiculed. 46791 can be seen in his official Unity rubber boots more often than not. He has purpose, direction, he's free from entitled fashionistas, and most important...he has REAL brothers now.

Hail Unity!