The Story of Reward And Wage

There lived in a small village of West Africa a wealthy farmer who wanted to cultivate his yam farm during the beginning of the rainy season. He placed notice all through the village for the assistance of three strong men in cultivating the farm land. The next morning three of the ablest men came and waited until the master arrived to assess them and give to each their duty of labor.

When the master arrived he saw how strong they all were and showed to each laborer their portion of land to cultivate. He explained each were to create fifty mounds of sand for the planting of his yam seeds. At 4 pm he will return to pay each one of them for their exerted effort. After the master left the first laborer at once removed his clothes and went to fetch his spade shovel to begin work immediately.

The second laborer hesitated for a while before removing his clothes, he fetched a machete to set out to his duty. The third laborer amusing as it may be came without any working tool. He decided to go back to borrow a tool from his neighbor. When he arrived back home, to his shock the neighbor was not at home and he had to settle for a garden pitchfork.

At exactly twelve noon the first laborer with the spade shovel had created thirty mounds of sand and was still creating more. The second laborer with the machete had created fifteen mounds of sand and was still creating more. The third laborer after trying for hours and realizing the garden pitchfork could not create any mound of sand went under the shade of a mango tree to take a nap.

When it was exactly 4 pm the master arrived to see what his laborers had accomplished within the time frame. He was impressed by the first laborer for making fifty mounds of sand as he instructed. He was half pleased with the second laborer for making only twenty five mounds of sand. He was startled by the third laborer who had done nothing all day and was still hanging around for wage.

He came up with a wise idea that each laborer will collect his wage using his working tool. He sent his servant to bring a large basin of coins to pay each laborer accordingly. The first laborer using his spade shovel dug into the basin of coins and took a lump sum, he was greatly pleased and thanked the master. The second laborer using his machete dug into the basin but as he pulled it out only few were left for his take. He wasn’t too pleased and left without thanking the master.

The third laborer came with his garden pitchfork to collect his undue wage. He dug the pitchfork into the basin but whenever he brought it out there was nothing to collect. After repeated turns the master told him to leave and not waste his precious time. He resorted to begging and crying but the master insisted he had used the tool available in his hand but couldn’t collect anything.

Understand: A lot of people out there don’t take their work seriously, they are with a habit of wanting to be rewarded for work not done or work not performed properly. This story give to them the effect of their action. It encourage us to use our right tool always. Compensation will always accrue to us when we are with the right tool because we feel the motivation to work the hardest and meet the target or goal.