The Parable of the Three Farmers: A Story About Lasting Human Flourishing

Luis A. Marrero
Jul 9
3 min read

Most efforts to help people flourish emphasize either cultivating what helps people grow or removing what hinders their growth. Meaningful Purpose Psychology proposes that lasting human flourishing requires both. The following parable illustrates why.

A Master Logoteleologist and his students were walking on a New England country road, surrounded by farmland.

One of the students asked the master, “Teacher, what leads to lasting human thriving?

The Master Logoteleologist and his students.

The teacher gathered his students under a tree, pointed to the farm country around them, and began.

“Most approaches to helping people flourish focus on one of two things: adding what helps people grow or removing what holds them back. Meaningful Purpose Psychology proposes that lasting flourishing requires both. Consider the following parable.

There were three farmers. Two foolish and one wise.

The First Foolish Farmer

The first farmer added fertilizer to the soil, planted healthy seeds, and every day he would ensure his plants received the right amount of water and sunlight. After a few days, weeds started growing right beside the healthy seeds. However, the farmer ignored the weeds but continued to fertilize, water, and provide the right amount of sunlight to his plants.

At first, the weeds seemed too small to matter. The farmer assumed they would disappear on their own. Instead, they quietly competed with the healthy plants for water and nutrients. As the season progressed, their vines wrapped themselves around the growing plants until many became weak and diseased. The weakened crop attracted insects that devoured leaves and fruit. When harvest season arrived, the farmer's field yielded only a disappointing crop.

The Second Foolish Farmer

The second farmer added fertilizer to the soil, planted healthy seeds, and every day, he meticulously removed any weeds that emerged. The farmer worked tirelessly pulling every weed he could find. Yet he neglected the daily care the crop required.

Sometimes torrential rains drowned the plants. Other times scorching heat withered them. Lacking consistent nourishment and care, only a handful of plants survived to produce fruit.

The Wise Farmer

The third farmer prepared the soil carefully. He planted healthy seeds. Each day he ensured the crops received the nourishment, water, and sunlight they needed. At the same time, he regularly inspected his fields, removing every weed before it could take root and spread. When harvest season arrived, the wise farmer's fields were full.

His family never worried about food. His neighbors also benefited from the abundance. The surplus from his harvest became seed for future seasons, ensuring that the blessings extended far beyond a single year.”

Lesson from the Three Farmers

The teacher looked quietly across the fields before asking,

"Which farmer are we becoming when we help people?"

After a long silence, the teacher continued:

"Many people devote themselves to strengthening what is good while ignoring the weeds that quietly destroy it. Others spend all their energy pulling weeds but forget to cultivate healthy growth. Neither path produces an abundant harvest. The wise farmer does both. He cultivates what gives life and removes what quietly destroys it.

Those who follow the example of the wise farmer embody the principles of Meaningful Purpose Psychology. They cultivate healthier meanings that strengthen human flourishing while diligently identifying and removing the dysmeanings that quietly undermine it. By nurturing what gives life and eliminating what silently impedes it, they help cultivate harvests that endure—for individuals, families, organizations, and communities. That is why Meaningful Purpose Psychology seeks not merely healthier behavior, but healthier meanings from which lasting flourishing naturally grows."

For a short video on the subject, click here:

Short Video

Are you curious and would like to learn how meaningful purpose practitioners can help you, your team, and your organization thrive?