James Bender, in his
book, How to Talk Well (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 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
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 correctness 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.
