Just a filler for an anonymous reader who wanted stories on my blog (will do as a regular sunday feature). It is a forwarded email and do not ask me the source. If you let me know, I will credit it.
James Bender, in his book "How to Talk Well" relates the story of a farmer who grew award winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it.
The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours. "How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked. "Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior corn, crosspollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow
good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn."
He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve
unless his neighbour's corn also improves. So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbours to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare
of all.
The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbours grow good corn.
James Bender, in his book "How to Talk Well" relates the story of a farmer who grew award winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it.
The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours. "How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked. "Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior corn, crosspollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow
good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn."
He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve
unless his neighbour's corn also improves. So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbours to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare
of all.
The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbours grow good corn.
Comments