The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
The world is made up of monkeys and gorillas.
If you find yourself as a gorilla count your lucky stars. If you find yourself as a monkey, no harm done. There is no moral high ground here.
One is more powerful than the other.
The problem is, both the monkey and the gorilla survive off the fruit of the same tree, the lower fruit being less flavorful, less quality, less palatable, over matured.
The higher fruit on the tree is the best and plentiful.
The gorilla guards the upper fruit with passion. He can not stop the little monkeys from scurrying in quickly and grabbing the lower fruit. However, he really doesn't care, because it is not fruit he cares to partake of anyway.
When the sun shines, in the tall grass, the gorilla sleeps. As the gorilla sleeps the monkey, scurrying into the tree, keeps his eye on the sleeping gorilla. He decides to try for the better fruit and see what it is like high in the tree. As he climbs higher in the tree he finds better fruit than he has ever experienced.
Chattering back and forth he attracts more monkeys. In their excitement they climb higher and higher in the tree until they reach the top. There they find the most excellent fruit, and plenty of it. In fact they muse amongst themselves as to why the gorilla was unwilling to share this better fruit with the monkey. There was found plenty for both groups.
The chatter and the enthusiasm from the monkeys awaken the gorilla. The gorilla looks toward the fruit tree and what he perceives taking of his fruit.
With a loud roar he carries the hulk of his carcass over to the tree grabbing it with both hands and with another loud roar shakes it vehemently.
The weak monkeys fall out immediately. With another loud roar the gorilla swipes at the weak monkeys. Fur and hide and flesh fly everywhere. The weak monkey resolves that he will never try for the good fruit again. Too harmful-too painful-too dangerous! Let the gorilla have the good fruit. The weak monkey will be satisfied with the lesser fruit.
The strong monkey however, has his arms on separate limbs, both feet on additional separate limbs and his tail on a fifth limb. Hanging on tightly he resolves not to give up the best fruit he has discovered. Evidently there are only a few strong monkeys at the top of the tree. The gorilla reasons that with only a few, the effort to shake the strong monkey out is too great. He will leave them there.
Now, I am a monkey, raised and bred and live among monkeys. I will not identify who the gorilla is. Everyone knows in their own mind who they would categorize as a gorilla. I would never indicate big oil, ADM, Cargill, etc. etc. as a gorilla. That being said, if one finds himself as a monkey, as I do, and one wants the good fruit, one should resolve not to be a weak monkey.
Additionally, one should not tie ones wrist to the wrist of the gorilla, because now the gorilla does not have to shake the tree he merely jerks the monkey out.
Personally, I enjoy good prices from my corn ($4.50-$5), high prices for my soybeans ($12) and the good prices I have received for my cattle in past years.
I am resolved not to allow the gorilla to take it away from me. One of the methods that I will employ in this process will be lessons learned from the fellow animal world of raccoons. In that earlier lesson, I told you of the consequences of raccoons fighting amongst themselves and becoming vulnerable to their enemies (economics).
As a monkey, I will not attack other monkeys who have chosen to derive their income (fruit) in various manners (livestock vs. grain vs. off farm income etc.) .
As a monkey, living in a world of monkeys, I choose to work together with all monkeys to receive our fair share of the good fruit.
See you later,
Barnyard Bruke