Pulling the Sprouts to Help Them Grow
"Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them Grow" comes from the ancient Chinese text "Mencius," a fable over two thousand years old. A farmer thought his rice seedlings were growing too slowly, so he pulled each one up a little — and the next day they had all withered. The story teaches us to follow nature's rhythm and not rush for quick results, a piece of wisdom Chinese people quote to this day.
Long, long ago, in the state of Song there lived a farmer who planted a big field beside the village, full of fresh green rice sprouts. Every day he gazed at the little sprouts with a smile, dreaming of a rich harvest in autumn.
But the sprouts grew only a tiny bit each day, and the farmer visited the field every day, always grumbling that they grew too slowly. He grew restless and could not even eat in peace.
One day, the farmer held his head and wondered: is there any way to make the sprouts grow taller faster? Suddenly his mind went "ding," and he thought of a plan he believed was very clever.
He bent down and gently pulled each sprout up a little higher, thinking, "See, now they are taller!" He pulled with growing excitement, from morning until dusk, until every sprout in the whole field had "grown taller".
His back was so tired he could hardly straighten up, but the farmer wiped his sweat and looked at the "taller" field, laughing with joy. He brushed the dirt off his hands, thinking he had surely succeeded this time.
As soon as he got home, he excitedly told his son, "I helped the sprouts grow taller today!" His son was so curious that he decided to go see the field first thing the next morning.
But the next morning, when they reached the field, every sprout in the whole field had withered and drooped its head. The farmer finally understood: hurrying had ruined everything — do things following nature's rhythm, step by step, and never rush for quick results.
