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From: al
Date: 29 Jul 2004
Time: 00:53:36 -0500
Remote Name: 216.192.4.12
Hmmm. Something in here reminds me of the parable of the land owner who hires workers throughout the day and at the end pays them all the same wage. It strikes me that the story ends there, at the end of the first day - talking about the different perspectives - paying a living wage because that is what each worker needs to feed his family regardless of how long he worked - and the compassion of the land owner to see the need from each mans eyes and pay (aka give generously) accordingly. And the perspectives of the longer toiling workers who focus on comparing what they have received (and thus the worth of themselves and their labor) by measuring it against what others have received instead of seeing the world by also standing in the shoes of the ones who came late. . . . The part that intrigues me, that is not mentioned, is what happens on the second day, and the days that follow. You know that over dinner that evening word will spread about this mans generosity and foolishness -depending on what each man sees. The next day, who will the landowner see arriving early in the morning, ready to work because they have found a wise and generous man and want to work in his fields? Who will spend the morning taking care of their own business and show up at noon ready to give half a days work for a full days wage? Who will spend the day idle and then come at quitting time to take advantage of a foolish man? And, most interesting of all, who will the landowner see already at work in his fields at sunrise because they love what they do? Over time, will the workers sort themselves out into a natural order - the sunrise who love what they do, and can be found taking care of the owners fields as their own; the standard full day wage earners who give equal measure; the half day - full wage types who feel their labor is worth double that of others; and the late day starters who choose to see the wise and generous as foolish. One of the best ways to see character is by letting each worker find his own level, in his own way, and in his own time. Cream rises to the top not because anyone orders it to do so but because the world in which it exists is ordered. Lao Tzu put it another way in Tao 17: A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, . . . Not so good when people obey and acclaim him, . . . Worst when they despise him. . . .Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you; But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say, We did this ourselves.