A few years ago, I read this parable in the Manila Bulletin that really stood in my mind, even until now. The parable was a powerful message for me... I hope it's the same for you too.
Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2004/03/10/OPED200403104423.html
The parable of the sweetest fruits
THE town had become famous for its variety of fruits. But more important than the wide range of choices was the quality. There was no doubt that the place had the sweetest fruits.
They had suha (pomelo), chico, lanzones, rambutan, mangostein, mango, and lanka (jackfruit), among others. Apart from having the sweetest fruits, no fruits of poor quality could be chanced upon in any fruit stall.
People from other towns and provinces took the trouble of coming for the sole purpose (dinadayo) of buying the sweetest fruits. In other markets, saying that a fruit being sold originated from this town was a sure guarantee of its sweetness.
Many came to buy seedlings of their fruit trees. Grafted types sold well thus providing extra income for the fruit farmers.
One question often asked by visitors was always left unanswered. The farmers refused to respond as though unwilling to reveal a secret. The question was why all the fruits in that particular town were sweet.
At first, visitors thought there was some big secret. But later, the farmers truthfully admitted that they were not sure. Experts studied the soil and water in the area as well as the fruit-farming methods and noted nothing special.
One day an enterprising visitor thought he had a means to find out. He believed that the middle-aged farmers really did not know let alone the younger generation. But he felt that the older inhabitants must know something or could provide some background.
He was soon able to track down the oldest man in the barrio and, true enough, he had the answer.
The frail man explained, "Many years ago, this whole town and all the surrounding areas were owned by a single landowner. He happened to be a greedy man. In addition to his lion�s share of the harvests of rice and vegetables, he also unilaterally decreed that every single fruit tree be taxed. The levy was an enormous amount.
"So high that unless a fruit tree yielded quality fruits, it was not worth maintaining. The tax would eat up all the income which was small in the first place if the tree�s fruits were of poor quality.
"In order to survive, the farmers deliberately cut down all the inferior fruit trees and retained only the known sweet-bearing fruit trees. This continued and, over time, the good fruit trees interbred and proliferated. And the natural selection gave rise to only the sweetest of fruits.
