Every couple of years I re-read Charlotte’s Web and then I spend days and days thinking about how good it is and reading E.B. White essays and just generally obsessing. Today I found his essay called Unity (alas not on line anywhere) in which he ultimately concludes that Unity in a free society is essential because it leads to justice. And conversely, I suppose, disunity leads to injustice.
“Justice will find a home where there is a synthesis of liberty and unity in a framework of government. And when justice appears on any scene, on any level of society, men’s problems enjoy a sort of automatic solution, because they enjoy the means of solution. Unity is no mirage. It is the distant shore. I believe we should at least head for that good shore, though most of us will not reach it in this life.”