Make the World Better

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Prosper Thy Neighbour (May 2010)

Prosper Thy Neighbour (May 2010) Posted by: "G K Lim" gk@gklim.com g_k_lim to LeadersWorkshop@yahoogroups.com Sun May 9, 2010 4:46 am (PDT)

There once 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 neighbours.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours 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 neighbours grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn."