The Parable of the Sower

Recently I saw a magnificent bronze statue entitled “The Sower.” Tony Frudakis, the sculptor, was inspired from the passage in the Book of Matthew : “A man sowed his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on good soil and produced a crop, some a hundredfold.” As the sower spread his seeds, some of it fell on barren ground and the bird’s ate it. Some fell on the wayside and was trampled on. But the sower persisted until his labor produced a bountiful harvest. The Parable of the Sower has symbolized man’s industry and productivity and his ability to bring forth that which is best within us.

As I admired this statue, my mind reflected on the sowing that we do daily in our lives. I questioned myself what type of sowing am I doing that benefits me, my family, my community. As I reflected, I recalled that I go to work faithfully daily and try to do my best despite disappointments that may cross my path.

My family is very important in my life. My wife and two sons play a central role in everything I do. At times I sit and think, “Where would I be if I didn’t have them? What kind of person would I be?” But I brush those thoughts aside and smile as I think of the fulfillment and joy they give me. I reflect how good this community has been to me. One of my goals is to repay the kindness, good fortune, and respect it has bestowed on me.

Think about the sowing you are doing. Is it profiting you, your family, your community? Have you sowed seeds only to produce children and then neglect them? What place does your family and community have in your life? Are you planting mental seeds to expand your store of knowledge? When the harvest comes, will it be a hundredfold as the sower’s in the parable or will it have fallen by the wayside?

Does what I write sound preaching and corny? Perhaps. But my motive is not to tell you how to live your life, but to make you reflect on it. We complain about injustice, social problems, economic recessions, and all the other myriad problems we are faced with daily. Who do you think caused them? We did! And we can change them if and when we want to.

Until we stand up and take responsibility for our inaction, complacency and toleration of all the above dissatisfactions, they will continue. Our sowing will bear no harvest. We must question why are we allowing them to continue? Why we are not standing up and screaming: “Basta! Let’s correct them!” You see, changes do not come about from committee decisions. Changes are made only after you and I refuse to tolerate them. You, the individual, have the power to make great changes.

It takes one person to demand why isn’t there ample water all the time in all the villages in Saipan? Why isn’t there a sewage waste disposal plant on the east side of the island? Why aren’t we striving harder to recover our economic prosperity? When are we going to stop squandering scarce money? Why do we continue to blame outside forces and refuse to take responsibility for our problems? When will you and I demand a brighter future with hope?

Until you speak up and do as the sower did, your seeds will fall on the wayside and be trampled on and never grow. It doesn’t have to be that way. You and all the other “yous” can make a difference. A single “you” can become a chorus of “you’s.”

Strictly a personal view. Anthony Pellegrino writes every Monday and Tuesday. Mr. Pellegrino can be reached at tonypell@saipan.com