Recent developments around the world and at home have reminded us of the importance of good friends and neighbours. I once wrote a series of articles explaining the seven bank accounts of a farmer, but these bank accounts are important for everyone. Neighbours are one of the seven bank accounts: along with soil, seed, continuous education, the team, politics, and money.
You may have noticed that money was the last. If the first six accounts are in good shape, the money will be there. But, even if you are a millionaire and the other six accounts are not looked after, you will not be a millionaire forever. Before I go further, I should note a religious advisor should be included in the team. An old saying is, “a stranger is just a friend who you have not met yet”. With that attitude, we meet lots of great friends. Neighbours are the same. Good neighbours have lots of good neighbours. Sometimes good friends and neighbours move away. Eventually, you will find out which category the new ones fit into.
The new leader of the neighbouring country just south of Canada, who claimed that he would end all wars, seems to have started many more than he has ended. Many of the previous trading partners of that country have reduced or quit trading with that country since the new leader arrived. Some of the countries that Canada didn’t trust to trade with now have new leaders too and now seem to be more reliable than our neighbour. No, Canada doesn’t need to pick a fight with our old friendly neighbour but maybe look for a few new friends to trade with.
An old religious saying – “it is easier for a rich person to pass through the eye of a needle than to get to heaven” – makes us think of some very rich people who have used religion as an excuse to take over another country who has oil, precious metals, or other riches. I cannot think of one poor person who has started a war. It is very seldom that rich people lead a country into battle, but they send thousands of poorer soldiers to their death. Some of those rich leaders spend billions sending bombers into cities and kill untold numbers of children, people in hospitals, and apartment buildings while millions of poor people have no Medicare or even food to eat.
Some of the recent trade policies and wars have left farmers who grow the food without access to fertilizer to grow the crop or fuel for the tractors to plant or harvest it. We read about times in Europe centuries ago when rich kings sent their armies into the countryside to take food from the poor farmers for the castles and armies while poor people starved to death. Our ancestors came to America to get away from that tyranny. Here and now we are seeing the rich get richer while the poor get poorer just as it happened in the “old country”.
I have never watched a Brinks truck follow the hearse to a burial in a graveyard but often read of neighbours and friends organizing benefits for people who need surgery or help to rebuild after a barn or home fire. Every person that I know has lost an ancestor who fought for our freedom in some previous war. It is a relief for me to watch as many countries say no to sending troops, guns, or ships to help one country’s rich leader attack another country just so those rich leaders can become richer.
Maybe it’s just the part of the world that we live in, but it is very comforting to come together when friends lose loved ones or are in distress, to stand with them regardless of their religion, race, and occupation, rich or not.
There is no shortage of food to feed the world (only half of what we produce gets eaten) and enough money for everyone to have a safe, warm place to rest if our wealth was a little bit better distributed. Look after your neighbour and you will get it back a hundred times over. Often a phone call or a few minutes to visit can be a life saver to someone and you might get as much satisfaction as that one you spent time with! Tell your elected officials what is important in your life
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations. gladcrest@gmail.com
