There 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 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 are to grow good corn, we
must help our neighbors grow good corn.