THE STORY OF THE SEED: Of Honesty and Trust

By: Marjorie Ann Sheena D. Macarayo, RN

The story of the seed has been told and retold so many times in the past, each with a varying
version of the facts and characters. However, it never loses its core lesson that should be learned by
everyone, and that is to be honest in everything, so that you may be trusted.
A CEO of a successful company gave all of his prospective replacements a seed to grow for a
year, so that he will know who will replace him once he checks the seeds. One character did everything
that he could for a year to grow the seed, in which he failed. He was tempted to replace the seed with a
beautiful plant, but his wife insisted that he remain honest and present his empty pot to his CEO. After
arriving at his CEOs office, everyone else had flourishing plants to present to the CEO for inspection
while he was the only one holding an empty pot. The others laughed at him, while some felt sympathy.
The CEO arrived and quickly noticed the empty pot, in which he asked the character to present to him and
tell him why he failed at growing the seed. He proceeded to tell his story, and the CEO kept silent. He
then announced that the character will be the next CEO of the company because all the seeds that he gave
them were boiled, hence impossible to grow. The next CEOs determination and honesty were the
attributes that he was looking for his replacement, and he found it.
1

Now, it can be argued that the methods of the majority in the story are practical in a way since
they were only following orders. Most of the time, that is what a person would resort to when faced with a
seemingly insurmountable task: a shortcut. Unsurprisingly, some will even complement a person taking
shortcuts, saying that it was the smart thing to do. That is the reality that we live in right now: people
complimenting people on taking shortcuts rather than taking the longer path.
However, is it the right thing to do? Shortcuts, in a broader sense, are not inherently evil since the
job is still done. Nevertheless, the morals sought to be developed (determination, perseverance, integrity,
and honesty) by the given tasks are forgotten and set aside. In the bigger scheme of life, the short-term
goal of a job being done using shortcuts is undermined by the long-term goal of being a person of
integrity and honesty. Will you still be trusted in the future if your methods of getting the job done are, at
best, questionable?
A person who resorts to shortcuts and questionable means may even become the richest and most
powerful man in the world, but an honest and trustworthy person will be the most fulfilled because
following the longer path which is the right one eventually leads to the one thing that even all the money
and power in the world cannot buy nor acquire: peace.

1
Kong, Francis J. "The Story of the Seed." Editorial. The Philippine Star [Manila] 9 Aug. 2009: n. pag. Print.