GROWING GOOD CORN
Author unknown

James Bender, in his book, HOW TO TALK WELL (New York:
McGraw-Hill Book Co., 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 connectedness of life. His corn
cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must
help their neighbors to live in 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.

Source: http://www.heartnsouls.com/stories/e/s426.shtml

WHEE MD Observations

I have often been saddened by the competitiveness of academic and professional colleagues, who are jealously protective of their intellectual and professional turf. I am also saddened by the reports of theft of intellectual property which leads people to be defensive in these ways.

I believe we have much more to gain from sharing than from being protective of our work. WHEE, for instance, is shared freely and openly through articles on this site. The world is too much in need of healing for us to hoard our healing methods and gifts.