“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV)

Enjoy the third benefit of friendship: Accomplish more.

Each strand makes up a small rope and then the small ropes are joined to make an even stronger rope.

Most cotton string, by itself is easy for me to break. But intertwine three strands and I wouldn’t even try. The three strands can do more work than the single strand. Even in the US Navy, the anchor rope (now chains), the rigging and the mooring ropes had multiple strands. The more strands, the bigger the job that could be done. Some ropes are huge both in length and diameter. For example, one mooring rope has a circumference of 13 inches and had a breaking load of 204 tons. When a huge ship is moored, several ropes are run from the ship to large metal posts on the pier. Many ropes make this even stronger than a single, very strong rope. 

When I was in the Navy, I was a Signalman. We used ropes to hoist signal flags that could be used to tell other vessels within visual range what was happening. These strong multi-strand ropes withstood high winds for a long time at sea. When we came alongside a ship to refuel the USS Bagley (FF-1069), the signalmen would raise the “B” red Bravo flag. Signal flag B (Bravo – Phonetic Pronunciation: BRAH-voh). This flag has Navy & International meaning: It means our ship is taking in, discharging, or carrying dangerous cargo.

This was my home during the last part of my service in the U.S. Navy.
This is the USS Bagley, FF-1069

This month, when my friend Scott Fuller brought his new sailboat home, he had a crew of three friends. He accomplished more with others who could help him sail the vessel. Here is what Scott wrote on his Facebook page: “Kudos to my crew who cheerfully persevered through some rugged weather, mechanical issues, and a noticeably light quantity of the main ingredient in the poppy-seed chicken. You guys were great, and thanks is woefully inadequate to express my appreciation.”

All this to say that you can do many things by yourself, but if you have a good friend helping you can do even more. Take the time to develop friendships and work together to accomplish more.