Bozo Erectus
Master Baker
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 22,389
Youre travelling down a country road. On one side of the road theres an orderly farm, with the wheat planted in neat rows, and all the plants are lush, vibrant and healthy. On the other side, theres a disorderly farm. The wheat grows haphazardly, in no order, and as a result, many patches of the wheat field are stunted and unhealthy looking. You travel on and encounter two farmers arguing.
The first farmer, the owner of the orderly farm, explains to you that wheat, in order to reach its full potential, must be planted in neat orderly rows, and carefully tended by a wise farmer. Sickly plants must be removed to leave more room for the healthy plants, and in this way, his crop improves every year. Since he plants his wheat in neat rows, he is facilitated in this, and is able to reach any part of the field that might need his attention. When harvest time comes he says, a farmer must sharpen his scythe and cut it all down, so it can be taken to market.
The other farmer disagrees. He loves the wheat, and considers it cruel to force the wheat into unnatural rows, its best to let the seeds fall and grow where they might. Though it pains the second farmer greatly to see vast swaths of his wheat field becoming stunted and sickly, he cant go out into the field to tend them because he would have to cut down many other plants in order to reach the areas that require his attention, and that is something he cannot do. Every stalk of wheat is precious to him, and cannot be harmed by him in any way. So he weeps, gnashes his teeth and rents his garments in despair, but in the end, he is powerless to do anything. For this farmer, there is no harvest time. When the stalks die, they fall to the ground amd wherever the seeds fall, that is where new plants will arise next year.
In your opinion, which is the good farmer?
The first farmer, the owner of the orderly farm, explains to you that wheat, in order to reach its full potential, must be planted in neat orderly rows, and carefully tended by a wise farmer. Sickly plants must be removed to leave more room for the healthy plants, and in this way, his crop improves every year. Since he plants his wheat in neat rows, he is facilitated in this, and is able to reach any part of the field that might need his attention. When harvest time comes he says, a farmer must sharpen his scythe and cut it all down, so it can be taken to market.
The other farmer disagrees. He loves the wheat, and considers it cruel to force the wheat into unnatural rows, its best to let the seeds fall and grow where they might. Though it pains the second farmer greatly to see vast swaths of his wheat field becoming stunted and sickly, he cant go out into the field to tend them because he would have to cut down many other plants in order to reach the areas that require his attention, and that is something he cannot do. Every stalk of wheat is precious to him, and cannot be harmed by him in any way. So he weeps, gnashes his teeth and rents his garments in despair, but in the end, he is powerless to do anything. For this farmer, there is no harvest time. When the stalks die, they fall to the ground amd wherever the seeds fall, that is where new plants will arise next year.
In your opinion, which is the good farmer?
