“Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone had the heart of a farmer?”
That phrase was posted recently on a social media page I follow, and I started wondering how our world might be different if everyone did have the heart of a farmer.
Here are some of the things I think would be different:
If everyone had the heart of a farmer, there would much more compassion. Farmers are among the most compassionate people in the world and you can see that compassion in how they care for their animals. If an animal is sick or hurt, the majority of farmers do everything they can to treat the animal in hopes of a full recovery. On that same note, farmers don’t like to see animals in pain and opt for a humane end to the suffering if recovery isn’t possible.
If everyone had the heart of a farmer, there would be less hunger. Why? Because everyone would have the desire to get their hands a little dirty and work the soil in hopes to see something grow. We would see more people learning how to provide for themselves and helping out those in need with excess produce, eggs and other items, which goes back to having compassion.
If everyone had the heart of a farmer, we’d see more young people working to achieve goals. Young people would know that things in life aren’t guaranteed and that they need to depend on themselves and their own abilities more than others.
If everyone had the heart of a farmer, everyone would know his or her neighbors. They would know when a neighbor needed a hand fixing fence after a storm, rounding up stray cattle, helping them work on a piece of broken machinery, or simply a kind word. Why would they do that? Because they know their neighbor would do the same for them.
If everyone had the heart of a farmer, we would be a much healthier society. A little hard work never hurt anyone, but there are generations of people who have never done any physical labor, other than maybe mowing their yards, so a day of farm labor might be the most exercise they have ever gotten.
If everyone had the heart of a farmer, there would be a lot less road rage. Why? Because you would probably know the driver who is going way too slow or the guy who didn’t use his signal when he turned. After all, you know that “Jim” drives at a snail’s pace because he isn’t in a big hurry to get anywhere, and that “Bob” has cattle down that road and he goes to check them every day, so you knew there was a pretty good chance that he was going to turn.
If everyone had the heart of a farmer, farmers would be celebrated for their contributions. There would be no anti-agriculture movement, no organizations calling for farm animals to be “liberated” from their “barbaric confinement,” because everyone would understand how farms really work, and the contribution farmers of all kinds make to the world with goods, services and jobs. There would be no continuous debates about which egg is better for consumers, grass-fed over grain-feed, or if GMOs cause cancer because farmers would be allowed to be farmers.
I’m sure many of you can quickly develop your own “what if list” to show why the world truly is a better place with farmers in it.
Agriculture is a difficult industry to be in these days, leaving some farmers wondering if it is worth the price to stay on the farm. Fortunately, some of those questioning their way of life have held fast and remained, holding on to hope that things will be better. Some people may say that takes a lot of spunk, confidence or optimism to be a farmer, but I think it shows a lot of heart – the heart of a farmer.
Julie
