Inspiring Story: Growing Good Corn

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 have to be happy,

we should help us neighbor be happy.

-Unknown