Growing Good Corn
There was 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
neighbors. 'How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your
neighbors 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
neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade
the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my
neighbors grow good corn.'
He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot
improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.
So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must help
their neighbors to be at peace. And those who choose to be happy must
help others to find happiness. While one can certainly be happy by
oneself, maintaining happiness is difficult when those around you are
unhappy, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.
(authorship unknown)
