David Mas Masumoto's Wisdom of the Last Farmer - Essay Example

When his father was attacked by stroke, Masumoto, had no other option but to go back home and stay with his father, despite the fact that he was a sociology graduate, which could have earned him a different job (Heidmann, 116). Initially, his father used to teach him many lessons about farming and about life. However, after suffering from stroke, his speech is lost and his ability to work with the right hand also affected. The only way out, is for Masumoto to try and teach his father, how he can operate the farm machinery in his present condition.

The attachment of the family to farming is more than just as a source of livelihood. It is more about the relationship with the life of the farm, and that of the consumers. Farming is not a mere way of earning a living for Masumoto and his family, but a pathway for supporting life. Therefore, there are more lessons that Masumoto learns from his father throughout his tenure on the farm, other than just farming skills. The first valuable lesson that Masumoto learns is that; the growth cycle of the farm plants represents the stages of human life.

The moment the seeds are sown on the fields, they emerge as new plants which need to be taken care of, since at that stage, the plants are still tender and the failure to take adequate care of them might mean their failure to grow to full harvest (Masumoto, 29). The same happens with the life of humans. Once a child is born, there is a lot of input applied by the parents to bring the child up, always taking good care of the baby and providing for the baby with all its necessities, since the baby cannot fend on its own.

However, as the child grows, he/she turns out to be youthful and independent, capable of doing many things without much assistance, but still remains inexperienced in life (Masumoto, 37). It is at this stage that the young adult requires much lessons regarding life, since at this stage, there are chances that good advice will shape the youth for a better future, and the contrary lead to the young adult being a baggage to the society. Thus, as the plants in the farm are taken care of differently during their different stages of growth, human beings need to be treated the same.

After the plant matures, it bears fruits that are ready for harvest by the farm owner, who then sells the farm produce to earn a living. Therefore, the usefulness of the farm plant is enjoyed when its fruits are transferred to the consumer. The same happens for the human beings, where the old people have to transfer their wisdom to the young adults, which helps them to shape their future, and make it fruitful even to others. This is exactly what happened with Masumoto, since he learnt a lot of wisdom from his father, which informs his life thereafter (Masumoto, 154).

The other invaluable lesson learnt by Masumoto is the value of patience and persistence in life (Masumoto, 54). Whenever the farmers are planting their crops, they have hope that they will obtain bumper harvest from the fields. However, all it takes is patience and persistence, as the farmers sow, till and take care of the crops against all odds, such as pests and diseases. There are seasons when there is sun, and others when it is cold, yet the farmers have to be continuously working on the farm.

There are seasons when the harvest will be bumper, and there are other seasons when the farmer barely gets any harvest. Yet in all these seasons, the