Once, there was a farmer, and this farmer wanted to raise water buffalo. So, he found a good piece of land with plenty of lovely pasture.
But then the farmer discovered that one of the most important things about raising water buffalo – and one of the most expensive – is building the right fences. There were many questions to ask, but most basically
Where to put the fences, and where to put the gates?
So, the farmer walked around the land with these two questions in mind. And, as he walked, he noticed that someone before him had built fences. These were broken down and overgrown, but you could tell where they had been.
Do you just re-build the fences where they were before?
There is probably wisdom in this: we don’t have to re-invent every wheel. But sometimes the people who came before for us made mistakes, and we can improve on their decisions.
And as he walked, the farmer noticed that there were gullies in the pastures – places where water buffalo could fall in and not get out, places where they could get stuck. And water buffalo sometimes are not the wisest of creatures. They can sometimes think they know what is best for them when they don’t.
So, the farmer knew that he needed to put fences around the gullies, even though the water buffalo wouldn’t like it or see the reason behind it.
But water buffalo weren’t the only thing the farmer wanted to do on the land: he also wanted to raise vegetables. And he could see that you couldn’t let the water buffalo get into the garden. So, there needed to be fences around that, too. Otherwise, they would eat the vegetables. These vegetables were good, but they weren’t meant for the water buffalo.
And to work the water buffalo, to rotate them from pasture to pasture, to bring them in to milk, to bring them into the warmth of a barn, you have to have gates. You don’t want too many gates, or the water buffalo get confused and anxious. Just the right gates in just the right places.
The farmer knew where to put his gates, but he also knew that he would learn over time where he should have put them. You can change your fences, and you can change your gates – sometimes that is wise, but it is always difficult, and you don’t do it rashly.
The farmer didn’t let all of this paralyze him. If he did nothing, he couldn’t raise water buffalo; he couldn’t raise vegetables. So, he prayed to his wisest friend and asked
Where to put the fences, and where to put the gates?
