There was a Nebraska 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. 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 neighbors grow good corn.
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