The Nine Beggars and the Deed to the Farm

 
A beggar approached a man and asked for some food. The man handed him a piece of paper. He threw it away and screamed at the man, "I asked for food and you give me a piece of paper!" The man said nothing and went on his way. 

Later, a second beggar approached the man asking for food. The man gave him a piece of paper which he started to read. It looked like a deed to a farm, but he didn't believe it was real and threw it away. 

A third beggar asked for food and received the piece of paper from the man. She also read it and realized that it was a deed to a farm. Being cautious, she put it in one of her pockets and continued her search for food. She promised herself to study it later. That night she carefully put it in an envelope that she kept in her shanty. Eventually, she forgot it was there. 

When a fourth beggar read the piece of paper the man gave him, he recognized that it was in fact a real deed. He immediately took it to the closest restaurant and traded it for a hot meal.  When his belly was full he smiled in contentment and thought, "Easy come, easy go." 

When a fifth beggar got the same treatment from the man, he studied the whole deed and found that it included a vast farm, complete with farmhouse, orchards, livestock, and thousands of acres of farmland. He ran after the man and kissed his hand in thanksgiving. Then he went to the farm and daily slaughtered an animal, picked apples and corn.  He ran the farm into the ground in two years because he did not plant anything or tend to his animals. He sold the gutted farm, and, a year later, was begging again. 

A sixth beggar took control of his vast farm with his deed, and, by selling off small portions, paid others to teach him how to work the farm. He learned well, and because the farm was vast he became very rich. He became wealthy for himself only and did not share with his neighbors or with the beggars who had long ago been his friends. Eventually, attracted by news of his lavish lifestyle, a thief broke into the farmhouse. The former beggar surprised him as he was trying to make off with some silver candlesticks. The thief was able to kill him with a knife and get away. 

Hearing what happened to the sixth beggar, a seventh did not use his farm to become wealthy. He only planted a small part of it and let most of the land lie fallow. Over the years a wilderness grew up on the unused land. From it, wild animals would visit his farm and destroy some of his best fruit trees, crops, and livestock. 

An eighth beggar acted like the sixth who grew rich, except that when she grew wealthy, she shared her bounty with as many people as possible.  She gave away food and livestock, so that others could feed themselves. As a result of her generosity, people were generous to her. One of them introduced her to a kind and handsome man whom she married and they had children. She lived happily ever after, busily managing her farm and helping others. 

A ninth beggar acted very much like the eighth, except that she did not marry. After many years of giving away food, livestock, and parcels of land and teaching people how to feed themselves, she became a beggar again and devoted herself to her spiritual life.



Commentary  Like the beggars in the story, you are being offered something of great value.  The All Around program is like a deed to a farm and the instructions for managing the farm.  Some people coming to this web site will be like the beggars who wasted the deed or sold it for next to nothing.  Others will follow the instructions for using the program and they will get all kinds of benefits: personal support, more time, less stress, more money, and a greater sense of security.  Some people will use the materials only to benefit themselves personally.  Others will benefit themselves, people they know, and all of humanity.