Random musings: The Story of Two Farmers

Saw this at SOFT, and i felt it was rather meaningful...so here it is:

Just some random thoughts I wrote on my Facebook, which i thought could be something that's good to ponder and debate on:

Two farmers were given a handful of seeds to plant and reap whatever profits that grew from it from. One has only the seeds and the forces of nature. The other is given an extra cup of water a day, and a fistful of fertilizer a month.

A week has gone by. The first farmer has yet to experience rain. The second is seeing his seeds starting to germinate.

By the first month, the second farmer has healthy plants that are bearing flowers and fruits, while the first farmer is barely scraping through the very few seeds that actually germinates.

By the second month, the second farmer is reaping benefits of his plantation, selling a few of his produce and keeping some seeds that grew from his crop to plant new crops. With the money he gets from his sale, he is able to get constant water supply and better fertilizers for his new crop.

The first farmer's plant has just started to reach maturity.

This cycle went on until the second farmer becomes one of the riches crop producers in the land. With the money he reaps from his profits, he is able to buy machinery, land, quality seeds and manpower, which gives him more riches.

The first farmer makes enough to give him back what he had first started with. Maybe more. Maybe less.

When you think about it, this scenario kinda applies to possibly alot of things in our lives. Even in the context of music. The those who can afford it have the resources to create opportunities for nurturing wealth, talent, exposure and more opportunities: buy new pedals, new guitar, take classes, buy recording equipments, upload on the net, travel and gig etc.

Those who don't have to settle with the basics just to survive.

I remember when I was young, I wanted to learn the violin or the piano. But classes were expensive. The instruments themselves were expensive. Still are. Not very affordable at the very least. So the opportunity for me to explore music is pretty limited. Even a simple guitar was beyond my reach till my adulthood.

Perhaps, you could say that there are instruments and that there ways to pursue music if that is really a passion. But tell that to a 9-10 year old boy in an era where personal computers, let alone the internet, is unheard of.

(Btw, I survived through poly life without a computer as well.)

We are living in an age where opportunities are abundant. But among the below average income families, who's parents are cleaners and house movers, where the kids are made to focus on education and basic survival needs, their resources are still limited compared to alot of others. Talent recognition is given to those who can afford to showcase something, with what they can afford to have.

Something as simple as guitar can take you places, but those who have the technology to create less flaws and more impression in their music has the advantage.

I really wonder... if given the right resources and a bit of motivation, how many undiscovered talents among the poor would we actually discover in our shores right now?