There was a village inhabited mainly by poor farmers who relied solely upon their daily wages and some food supplies in return for the hard labor done on the paddy fields. They were governed by a feudal lord who would sell the agricultural produce on high margins to exporters and traders. He preferred lending his profits to the work men in the form of loans, as this would increase their liability and submissiveness towards the feudal lord. He had appointed assistants to keep a check on whether the work men were re-paying the amount borrowed or working overtime in case of delays or failure in payments. The mindset of the villagers was controlled by the feudal lord and were totally unaware of how deprived they were kept from their basic needs and rights.
The feudal lord had a son who was acquiring his higher education from a university in a developed country. After completion of higher studies he decided to return to his native village and serve the local population. He requested his dad, that he be provided with funds, which will be used to construct schools, hospitals and homes for the poor villagers. The villagers were happy to know that their destinies were in hands of a visionary leader as the young man was more considerate towards their well-being. The father got worried when he observed such openness in his son's attitude and he decided to teach him a lesson.
The feudal lord ordered the supervisor of one of his poultry farms to halt feeding grains to the livestock. The animals became very weak, and were nearing death. The feudal lord took his son to the poultry farm and asked him, 'What do you think has happened to these animals?' The son replied, 'It seems they have not been fed their grains and we need to do the same before they die.' The son rushed to the storage, without wasting a minute, cut open the sacks and fed the animals. The father, observing his son, ordered the supervisor to double the grains fed to the livestock. The son was happy to know that his father was beginning to think his way and both father and son returned back home happy.
After a week, the father revisited the farm with his son. They observed that heaps of grain were left uneaten and were failing to catch the attention of the animals. The feudal lord asked his son, 'Why are they not eating?' to which the son replied that they are not hungry and may not eat for many coming days. The father was happy to hear this from the son and said that the nature of the villagers is similar to that of the livestock. The son was shocked to hear such kind of a statement from his father and inquired the reason for such a statement. The father replied that the villagers, like these animals, will turn away from you forgetting your kindness and generosity. Their needs and wants will never end and there will be a situation when you will fail to satisfy their excessive demands. The moment you fail, your people will remove you from power and you will be lost in the books of history. The son was left astound and decided to consult the readers of this blog on what response should he give?
The feudal lord ordered the supervisor of one of his poultry farms to halt feeding grains to the livestock. The animals became very weak, and were nearing death. The feudal lord took his son to the poultry farm and asked him, 'What do you think has happened to these animals?' The son replied, 'It seems they have not been fed their grains and we need to do the same before they die.' The son rushed to the storage, without wasting a minute, cut open the sacks and fed the animals. The father, observing his son, ordered the supervisor to double the grains fed to the livestock. The son was happy to know that his father was beginning to think his way and both father and son returned back home happy.
After a week, the father revisited the farm with his son. They observed that heaps of grain were left uneaten and were failing to catch the attention of the animals. The feudal lord asked his son, 'Why are they not eating?' to which the son replied that they are not hungry and may not eat for many coming days. The father was happy to hear this from the son and said that the nature of the villagers is similar to that of the livestock. The son was shocked to hear such kind of a statement from his father and inquired the reason for such a statement. The father replied that the villagers, like these animals, will turn away from you forgetting your kindness and generosity. Their needs and wants will never end and there will be a situation when you will fail to satisfy their excessive demands. The moment you fail, your people will remove you from power and you will be lost in the books of history. The son was left astound and decided to consult the readers of this blog on what response should he give?
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