Commentary
Bleary-eyed and confused, we woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing at 4:30 a.m. It felt like the middle of the night to me. Waking up early for a flight is one thing, but starting a day of physical labor?
Those two days I spent on a farm with a real farm family doing farm work have stayed with me ever since. The struggle, exhaustion, food, and the unique sense of time that comes with agrarian life left a lasting impression.
We can all learn from how farmers manage their time and lives.
The work started at dawn, with tasks like feeding chickens, tending to pigs, and baling hay. We then watered and brushed the horses, worked on trucks in the pastures, and did various other farm chores before 8 a.m.
Breakfast was a feast with pancakes, biscuits, bacon, ham, eggs, greens, coffee, and juices. Everyone ate heartily, including myself.
After breakfast, we resumed our work on the farm, tending to the land, animals, crops, and fixing things. Patience, dedication, and a focus on completing tasks were evident throughout the day.
Fixing broken things and adapting to unforeseen challenges were a constant part of farm life. It taught me that life is about overcoming obstacles and moving forward, one step at a time.
Eric Sloane’s perspective on time and work resonated with me. Farmers approach time as a gift, treasuring and using it carefully. They embrace the world’s limits and opportunities, viewing their duties as patient, deliberate, and respectful.
In contrast, our modern age encourages shortcuts and technology to avoid effort. We are conditioned to complain about tasks and seek ways to minimize work, leading to a sense of universal dissatisfaction and decay of joy in life.
This constant discontent drives the demand for products and substances to alleviate pain, but ultimately worsens the situation. Technologies meant to enhance happiness fall short when rooted in a mindset of perpetual dissatisfaction.
For example, dropping a glass in the kitchen and breaking it is a common occurrence. The response to such mishaps reflects our attitude towards life and challenges.
The next events are revealing.
In a suburban household where every task is a bother and every broken item feels like a catastrophe, the shattering of a glass in the kitchen can result in intense drama, anger, blaming the culprit, and a general feeling of distress, followed by a grumpy cleanup filled with curses and frustration.
On the other hand, in a farmer’s home, breaking a glass is simply acknowledged. Someone grabs a broom and dustpan and cleans it up without fuss. There are no accusations, no curses, no anger over having to replace the glass. It’s just accepted as a part of life.
Which approach is better? Once the glass is broken, it’s already happened and can’t be undone. What matters now is how one reacts to it.
This is the true test. A person who can handle the situation with calm dignity, taking the time to clean up properly, is likely to lead a happier life overall.
Because the breaking of the glass is a metaphor for life itself. Time is a constant cycle of creation and destruction, advancement and setbacks. One cannot exist without the other, and the setbacks shouldn’t be seen as terrible interruptions. Instead, they are opportunities to showcase our skills in a different way, to utilize our hands, bodies, and minds effectively.
It’s all about forming good habits. Take the kitchen, for example. Many enjoy cooking but dislike cleaning up. In the farmer’s kitchen, where there are minimal appliances, cooking and cleaning happen simultaneously. By the time the meal is ready, the kitchen is already tidy.
In contrast, in a cluttered urban kitchen filled with gadgets, pans piled up, and dirt everywhere, cleaning is seen as a chore to avoid. This mindset leads to a perpetually messy kitchen.
According to Sloane, the key to a content life is to follow the farmer’s example. Do what needs to be done without complaint, but with patience and mindfulness. By appreciating and utilizing time effectively, we can reshape the purpose of our lives.
My experience on the farm showed me a different way of life, one I thought I had left behind. It’s clear now: the values of a farmer are worth adopting in any profession or lifestyle.
*The views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily represent those of The Epoch Times.*
Source link
