Farmers, Gatherers, and Thieves

Often when I go on trips I observe people around me, their culture, conversations, how they live. Kind of like sitting in the laundry mat eavesdropping on others' chats, except on a much larger scale. My morning cup of coffee gave me an idea, a hypothesis if you will, about people.

While sitting on a bench in the cool morning air, the thought that people are Farmers, Gatherers, or Thieves entered my mind, and I do acknowledge I am still shaking off the effects of a hotel room sleep.

Farmers are those who travel through life as seekers, planting seeds of knowledge for their families, communities, and future generations. They are visionaries, philosophers, movers and shakers, change makers. They grab ideas out of the air and make them reality. Their inner child was never put to bed, thus, they are forever curious. They are the kind of drivers who put the pedal to the metal, cruising at a cool 85 mph, until they start talking about an idea that excites them. Their car slows to 50 mph, then to 65, down to 55, and back up to 85 all in one sentence.

Gatherers are those who harvest the crops planted by Farmers. They tend to be focused on their personal needs and their immediate world. Gatherers are collectors rather than distributors, in contrast to Farmers, who are collectors AND distributors. They are steady streams flowing through life, often working in the same job for decades. Reliable, dependable, stable, predictable. They drive 55 mph down the highway of life, not taking too many risks.

Thieves are folks who steal from Farmers and Gatherers. They take everything, ideas, possessions, hearts, energy, cars, you name it they’ll grab it. They don’t utilize their own talents and gifts for the greater good, or even for themselves, they instead feel entitled to what others have. Some possess great skills of manipulation, control, deception, charm, charisma. Others just flat out grab what they want, boldly and without remorse.

We have all been a Farmer or Gatherer or Thief at some point in our lives. It is who we are most of the time that defines us, it is how we are remembered that tells of what we did with our precious lives.

Who are you?