A young boy wanted to become a farmer.

A young boy wanted to become a farmer. An established farm owner took the boy under his wing to teach him all that he knew. Once the boy finished his initial training, the owner gave the boy a very special seed.

“You must work hard, boy. If you water and fertilize this seed, and make sure it has enough light, it will grow into something wonderful!”

The boy watered and fertilized the seed only once, and to his surprise it sprouted into a bush of herbs. The boy was astonished that the simple directions of the owner were true; the boy had not put much effort or care into the task, yet the plant grew on its own.

The winter passed, and in the spring the boy was saddened to see that the herbs had died. He went to the farm owner to ask why.

The owner was sipping hot tea. “Ah, annuals,” said the owner, who then went on to explain that the type of seed he gave the boy would sprout only once and then die. Pleased with the boy’s progress, he gave the boy another very special seed.

“You must work hard, boy. If you water and fertilize this seed, and make sure it has enough light, it will grow into something wonderful!”

The boy watered and fertilized the seed only once, and to his surprise it sprouted into a beautiful flower. Again the boy was astonished that he simply planted the seed and it grew despite that he had forgotten to care for it. He smiled to himself in an arrogant fashion, proud that he had developed such a green thumb.

He waited another year, and the flower bloomed again. The boy deduced that the seed he was given must have been of a different sort, one that would sprout many times before it would die. And yet after another year passed, it was clear that this plant had died too. He went to the farm owner to ask why.

The owner was sipping hot coffee. “Ah, perennials,” said the owner, who then went on to explain that the type of seed he gave the boy would sprout several times across the years before dying. Confused with why the plant had died after only two years of life, he gave the boy another very special seed.

“You must work hard boy. If you water and fertilize this seed, and make sure it has enough light, it will grow into something wonderful!”

The boy watered and fertilized the seed only once, and to his surprise it never even sprouted. “This was supposed to be easy!” the boy shouted in frustration. The last two seeds had bloomed without him doing any work at all. He stormed into the farm owner’s house, demanding to know why the seed had not sprouted.

The owner was sipping a cocktail. “Ah, millennials,” sighed the owner.