An old farmer on his deathbed called for his two sons+. He told them that while his farm did not produce much, there was a valuable treasure buried in it which they would discover as they plowed the fields. He then left them each half his farm, and his blessing.
When the old man had passed on, the two sons began working in the fields. They worked hard, from morning to night, but never found a brass farthing. Then, when the harvest came, it was bountiful. Their old father had told them the truth - the treasure buried in the land was its fertility, and their hard work had uncovered it!
But everyone wants to believe a get-rich-quick scheme, and the two sons were no exception. They worked twice as hard as before, still hoping to find the treasure. When they found nothing, they began borrowing money to buy the land from each other. They started importing expensive tools to help them dig faster. Eventually, the clamor of creditors made them face the hard truth - they had been wasting their time. And so they fell into a great depression.
+ I'm tempted to say it was three, and give the youngest a cat, a pair of boots, and a sack; but that's really another story.
When the old man had passed on, the two sons began working in the fields. They worked hard, from morning to night, but never found a brass farthing. Then, when the harvest came, it was bountiful. Their old father had told them the truth - the treasure buried in the land was its fertility, and their hard work had uncovered it!
But everyone wants to believe a get-rich-quick scheme, and the two sons were no exception. They worked twice as hard as before, still hoping to find the treasure. When they found nothing, they began borrowing money to buy the land from each other. They started importing expensive tools to help them dig faster. Eventually, the clamor of creditors made them face the hard truth - they had been wasting their time. And so they fell into a great depression.
+ I'm tempted to say it was three, and give the youngest a cat, a pair of boots, and a sack; but that's really another story.