Today I harvested the carrots from our garden. Pretty good haul if I say so myself. Got them in , cleaned them , fed the carrot tops and scraps to the chickens and ducks. Then started the canning process. Once they were done the feeling of accomplishment was there. Not boastful or like I needed acknowledgement from anyone . It was the self pride of setting forth and goal and seeing it come to fruition through hard work, persistence and self motivation and determination. If someone had done the work for me or done ALL of the work then handed me the carrots at the end that feeling just isn't the same and doesn't provide with that motivation for next year when the daunting task lay ahead what's there to get you out working the ground , fertlizing , watering and taking care of pests , then harvesting, cleaning and canning. You just can't get the same satisfaction if it's handed to you and you don't have to work and get aggravated through the process. There's always hurtles and disappointments but that's the process you need to go through for that feeling and subsequent future motivation. Once someone else steps in and " makes it easier " for you that's all gone and you might as well just go buy your carrots from the grocery store and save you and your " helper " the aggravation . It will absolutely make the one doing the work for you feel better about themselves but in the end it doesn't do you any good. So I realize this is a small example of the issue at hand but it still applies in outcome . I think that old adage , give a man a fish you feed him for a meal , teach a man to fish you feed him forever absolutely applies to this small example.
Truthfully growing your own food is so rewarding AND it's rather cathartic. You want ZEN plant a seed. The rewards are endless and the lessons plentiful.
But maybe somewhere along the way we've all lost our way with wanting to " help " and just hand out too freely. Probably and mostly to make ourselves feel better and in reality not truly benefitting the intended recipient but causing the exact opposite effect.
So here's my peanut gallery , carrot growing , lame suggestion and I think it's widely regarded as wisdom , GIVE A MAN A FISH FEED HIM FOR A MEAL , TEACH A MAN TO FISH FEED HIM FOR A LIFETIME.
Maybe we forget knowledge provided to us in those old texts a little to easy. Newer isn't always better.
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