Eric Hoffer’s pea-picking' parable

The writer Eric Hoffer, who was a migrant laborer before becoming a longshoreman, told of picking peas during the Depression. He needed just a bit to get paid but had to work in a picked-over field. He was hungry, and the pay would buy the evening meal.

Hoffer found an unpicked row and rejoiced. Then, just as he started, another worker appeared. The stranger started picking the row from the opposite end. The stranger didn’t even have a sack. He was just picking peas into his hat. Hoffer thought he might just be picking enough for his supper.

The man finally stopped, approached Hoffer and dumped his hatful of peas into Hoffer’s sack. He said: Now you owe the next fellow a hatful of peas.

I like that story. We Americans tend to think about what we can do for ourselves. We don’t think much about what we owe each other.