The Geese & The Farmer
Old Europe, I talked briefly on old Europe some weeks back, how things are so neatly structured and organized. It’s all so comfortable and the United States has become that way. And is it so out of the ordinary to say that people stop reaching in such an environment?
To elaborate, I’d like to bring up a story of a hungry farmer. One day, a farmer noticed on his land, a flock of geese, grazing (is that the right word?). in his field and thought to himself, wouldn’t it be nice to have a geese dinner? He tried and tried but failed to catch one. After a few more attempts over some period of time, the farmer tried something else. He planted feed for the geese in his field. Slowly the geese, enjoying the food, got used to the farmer. After which, the farmer, thoughtful as he was, erected a structure to shelter the geese from the harsh weather. Most of the geese were much appreciative, and slowly became fat from the feed, shelter and comfort, they lost the ability to fly and run away. Afterwards, with long patience, the farmer enjoyed a nice geese dinner whenever he pleased.
Don’t Be Complacent
Now the lesson is that it is so easy to be lulled into complacency to a point where we stop trying. This is one of the lessons at least. And it applies to the world around us today. Industry is the applicable scenario where the farmer and geese can be applied. With the old Europe vibe that has been built up, their is very little need to build your own business when jobs are aplenty. Why go through all this hardship when everything you need from food to gadgets can be delivered to your door? In that way, entrepreneurship is dead in the US. Gone are the days where you would go out their with a delusional dream, a gut feeling and a current environment where your back is against the ropes.
Think Christopher Columbus, the pilgrims on the Mayflower or the Donner Party. They fit this metric. And very few, except on the very fringes, fit this bill anymore. And if this is the state of affairs in the US, why not move elsewhere?
Kingston S. Lim
April 22, 2022
Lagos, Nigeria
Kingston S. Lim 