Theos-Talk Archives (May 2008 Message tt00294)

GROWING GOOD CORN

James Bender, in his book, HOW TO TALK WELL (New York:
McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1994) 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, cross-pollination 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 with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help
their neighbours to live in 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.


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