The poem I’am Just a Farmer, Plain and Simple by Bobby Collier, a poultry farmer and former age teacher, is widely posted over social media. The poem has merited a lot of accolades for its simple structure conveying a lofty idea. It writes—
I’m just a farmer,
Plain and simple.
Not of a royal birth
But rather, a worker of the earth.
I know not of riches
But rather, of patches on my britches
I know of draught and rain,
Of pleasure and pain.
I know of the good and the bad,
The happy and the sad.
I am a man of emotions.
A man who loves this land,
And the beauty of its sand.
I know of a spring’s fresh flow
And autumn’s golden glow,
Of a newborn calf’s hesitation,
And the eagle’s destination.
I am a man who loves his job
And the life I live.
I live in a complex world,
but my faith guides me.
I’m just a farmer
Plain and simple.
I am a man who works with God,
I cannot succeed without his help,
For you see,
I’m just a farmer
Plain and simple.
These lines are profuse, carrying multiple connotations. We all, in fact, are supposed to be ‘farmers’. The ones infused with extreme humility and a belief that we cannot succeed without Almighty’s help. Plain living and high thinking supposed to be our motto.
Think about it this way: ‘Farmers’ are recruits of God. They work with God to feed and clothe the whole world. They do as God wills. They yield and thank. Their qualities are godly—affable, caring and protective. They are attached to soil. To their roots. They sow and take care of their crops. They nurture and reap good things. They cultivate ideas. They grow generations. They groom people to prosper and move ahead.
It means ‘Royal’ birth is not their line of argument. They prove themselves through their conduct. They have absolutely no history, hangover or hysteria of “caste and class”. Their ancient history is short of any so-called ‘great legacy’. The high pedestals and high positions may not be their hereditary domain, but the highness of character is their genuine identity.
Such ‘farmers’ have no ‘high tags’ attached to their persona. Their outlook and demeanor is not richly dazzling but is decorated with pride of poverty. With no regrets, they live their life with innate contentment and feel rewarding of what they do to carry on in life.
In every grain of sand, they see a reflection of everlasting truth—All will perish save His Grace. They love creation for its boundless bounties and benevolence. Their gladness and grief is the embodiment of compliance regarding their unflinching faith. That’s why they are the Supreme of all Creation.
But most of the ‘farmers’ today are not farmers, they are followers. Followers of their instincts, interests and interpretations. Today’s ‘farmers’ follow individuals. Walk behind them like slaves and beg for favors. Today’s ‘farmers’ are “just” so, small and shallow. They are ashamed of their roots and background. They suffer from inferiority complexes. Urbanization allures them. City corrupts them.
The meaning of actual productive life in terms of valuable contribution is simply forgotten, and the dichotomy between their roots and their present reality is baffling. Today’s ‘farmers’ have turned into fraudsters. They have lost all charisma of what a ‘farmer’ stands and symbolizes. ‘Farmers’ don’t plunder, they protect. ‘Farmers’ don’t uproot, they plant.
There is a certain beauty to the word Farmer that sums up so much in so few letters. It means being natural, being raw, being uncontaminated. The word means something uniquely different to each person. However, if we all continue to be what farmers have been for centuries, we can make a difference.
Farmers farm to make this world a better place. They are grounded and simple through their produce. Let us also become ‘farmers’ to farm this complex world by planting simple good life with small good practices.
