Group 4:

Del Mundo, John

De Paz, Patricia Marie

Fernandez, Mark

Legaspi, Chrischel

Sta. Maria, Jhulia

The Old Farmer

Once upon a time, there was a grumpy and stubborn old farmer. He lived near a hill by a village. He was very harsh and unwelcoming to the villagers. No one knew why he lived alone far from the village, but there are rumors that he moved there after his wife and son died from a famine that struck the region a couple of years ago.

What everyone knew was that he wanted to be left alone. One day the farmer decided to go up the hill overlooking the village. There he could see the villagers going about their day, workers on the fields, kids playing, and farm animals grazing. He stayed there for a while admiring the view. After some time, he traverses down the hill to return to his hut.

As he was going down, he spots a cave, out of curiosity he walks towards it and enters. Inside the cave, he stumbles upon a surplus of food that can probably feed the village for months. He was ecstatic as he could use this food for the upcoming winter season.

A month passes by and the farmer is still living off the food he discovered in the cave. There is a month's worth of food remaining. As he was returning from the cave he comes across a boy. Upon closer inspection, he notices that the boy looks very famished and malnourished. “Are you okay? What happened to you?” the farmer asks the boy. “Please help me, kind sir,” the boy replied. “I haven’t eaten in days.” The farmer brings the poor boy into his home to feed him. “What is going on in the village?” The farmer asked.

The boy then explains that the village has been running low on food for a couple of weeks now and that the village will struggle to get by the winter season. The farmer then remembers the food supply he discovered. Though he might be harsh and inhospitable, the villagers were not. They had always treated the old farmer with kindness and generosity.

He looked at the boy and saw his son in him. The farmer knew what he needed to do. Even though the remaining food in the cave may only feed the villagers for a month, he was willing to sacrifice his well being to help the struggling villagers.

The winter season has passed, and the village had survived. They managed to use the food supply provided by the old farmer to get back on their feet and deal with the situation. They administered the food evenly to get by the winter. The farmer could have kept the food for himself and not risk suffering in the winter, but instead, he shared it with the villagers. But that is not what makes him generous, it is the fact that he sacrificed his luxury to offer a helping hand to people in need. He may have lost some of his fortunes but in return, he gained the gratitude and respect of the villagers.