The Too Eager Farmer
A wealthy nobleman, who owned vast tracts of land, would require the local villagers to farm them. He allocated each farmer a plot to plow, plant, and harvest, with the understanding that all the produce went straight to him. Fair enough, one might say, given the historical context and the state of worker rights at the time.
One day, a farmer approached the nobleman, visibly agitated. “Why,” he asked, “do you give me just one acre to farm, while you’ve given my neighbor two, and another three? What’s the deal?”
The nobleman listened patiently, and without a word, immediately ordered that the farmer’s plot be taken away.
The farmer stood there, stunned. “Wait a second! Not only did I not get more land, but now you're taking away what I had before! Why?"
The nobleman looked at him, his eyes narrowing. “From your words, it’s clear,” he explained, “that you’re dishonest. You don’t want more land to work—you want more land so you can steal more produce from me. Why else would you be volunteering for extra work? If you were trustworthy, you’d be content with what you’ve got.”
