Traditional Economy Essay

this was an essay assignment that i wrote for my economics class.

     As morning arose on the blissful country of Ungl'Unl'Rrhl'Chchch, Saiyox and his two sons, Kf'lakhl and KluYa, dressed to tend to their daily chores. Saiyox's wife, Dscleroux, began to cook breakfast. Saiyox and his sons stepped out their shanty into the morning air, which was nice, warm, and breezy, and began to make the three mile trek to give thanks to the spirits that watched over the land. Although it was still pitch-black, Saiyox knew the trail like one knew the intimacy of one's own palm. Saiyox, like his father and grandfather, and likewise every male in his bloodline before him, made the pilgrimage to the pond of spirits every season to pray, give thanks, and leave offering to the spirits in exchange for a bountiful harvest. The last few harvests had been quite paltry, but Saiyox did not relinquish his hopes. Every season was a renewed opportunity for a surplus of crops. This chance meant that Saiyox could take his surplus to town and buy a new cow to provide for his family's milk and cheese, and eventually, their meat.

    

     As this point arose in Saiyox's mind, he began to think of Go'lbluz, his brother-in-law. Go'lbluz created a new method of farming geared toward increased crop production. The village elders, scared of this sudden idea, called Go'lbluz a fiend and a traitor, and they sentenced him to hang. Before they could catch him, Go'lbluz fled his home. After some time, Go'lbluz came to Saiyox to pass on his idea. At first, Saiyox told Go'lbluz in fury to leave his home, but Go'lbluz pleaded to Saiyox to come with him to his new farm. Saiyox finally agreed, and suggested that they travel by nightfall. When they arrived at Go'lbluz's farm the next day, Saiyox couldn't believe the sight before him. The field seemed endless! "And this is only corn," Go'lbluz said. "Now will you listen?"

 

     "Father! Which way now?" Saiyox quickly snapped out of his daydream to see Kf'lakhl, his eldest, looking at him with an expression of confusion. Kf'lakhl was a very intelligent young man, but he could be quite forgetful at times. "Take a right, and then we will walk for some distance," Saiyox replied. When they reached the pond of spirits, Saiyox began to rummage in his knapsack for the stone that he had selected the month before, the very same stone that he would use today to summon his ancestors from their slumber to ask for guidance and favor. The pond of spirits, contrary to its name, was no tiny pond. It was a monolithic body of water, spanning a mile from end to end. Although it was easily the largest body of water in Ungl'Unl'Rrhl'Chchch, its water supply could and would not by used, because it was sacred.

 

     The stone that Saiyox pulled from his knapsack was perfectly smooth and elliptical, and it had been inscribed with the names of his ancestors. This list was important, because all of the spirits of land workers came to the pond for refuge, and the summoner could only ask of their ancestors. Saiyox rubbed his palm gently over the stone one last time before he raised it above his head. "Spirits of times past, too long gone; spirits left too fast, let your words be one!" Saiyox exclaimed as he thrust the stone with all of his might, trying to make it as close to the center as he could. The farther one could cast his stone, the better his harvest could ultimately be. The distance one could cast his stone during this ceremony determined the level of committment and certainty that one had in his ancestors' advice, and he would therefore recieve better praise.

 

     As the stone landed with a plunk, Saiyox began to grin. This cast was the farthest that he had ever made. By some miracle, he had almost made it to the middle. The spirits are watching me, even now, he thought. For some time, Saiyox stood at the shore of the pond, and his sons stood in what appeared to be complete silence. Suddenly, Saiyox turned, and his sons could see that fear gripped him. "We must leave. Now."

 

     They ran down the trail with unhuman speed as hailstones pummeled them from every direction. Saiyox leaped over the trench ahead of him as he ran. Just ahead of him, he could see his shanty on the hill. Saiyox could see his crop as well, and it had suffered quite a beating. The hardest part of seeing this catastrophe was the fact that today was the day of the harvest. Everyone else had already made their pilgrimage, and Saiyox was shunned for waiting so long to make his trip. He was told that he would bring bad omen on his village and that the spirits would destroy all of their crops, just because of him. As his heart sank, Saiyox realized that his fellow villagers were right. They had all pulled their shares of the crop, and Saiyox was hoping to do the same when he came home. He screamed to KluYa to grab the bushels that they used to gather the crop, and Kf'lakhl began to tear the crop out of the rows as he did the same.

 

     When the storm subsided, Saiyox and his sons took to the field to see if any other crops had survived, and it was to his dismay that he had only yielded one bushel of beets, the only crop that he was to farm. Saiyox shuffled back to his shanty after he turned his yield over and began to think of what he would tell his wife. They could not kill their cow; then, they would go without even more food and drink. They at least had enough food to last the winter; but, what would they do when the spring came? Beg? Saiyox thought of himself groveling and was disgusted by the outcome. Before he could reach the foot of his hill, Kf'lakhl and KluYa ran over to him. "Father, don't worry. Go to bathe at the river, and we will help Mother prepare supper. Don't worry, Father." Saiyox complied and made his way to the river. When he arrived, he began to slowly remove his garments one by one. His clothes were ragged and torn, and there were patches that fixed previous tears. His boots were the only strong piece of clothing he owned. Saiyox began to think of the days when his father used to take him to town to trade crops. "Son," he would say," the crop is very important. Your lifeforce and will to work for prosperity will be greater if you can yield a large crop during your harvest. The only thing more important than this is giving proper thanks to the spirits at the pond. Tomorrow I will take you with me on my pilgrimage, so that you will be able to do the same when I am gone. Someday, you will be like me, son. You will work for the land, and your sons will do the same, as will their sons. It is destiny." "Yes, Father," he replied. Like father, like son, Saiyox thought sourly.

 

     Pounding torrents of rain woke Saiyox that same night. He started from his bed with a jolt and ran to the door of his shanty, terrified. He flung it open, and it was to his horror that he could not see his patch of land in the rain; the rainstorm was so ferocious that there was no visibility at all. At this point, Saiyox thought, there was no profit in even worrying about his land now; by morning the topsoil would be gone, completely eroded. His land was worthless now. The only thing on his mind now was the thought of how he could provide for his family. That was the only concern, and it was ever growing with the fact that his wife was with child yet again. Well, he thought, the only thing that I can do now is just sit around and wait out the storm.

 

     As morning broke, Saiyox stepped cautiously out of his shanty to check on his stock. He turned down the trail to make his was to the barn and noticed a chicken lying dead on the ground. He hung his head and continued. The number of uprooted late crops and dead animals mounted as he came closer to the barn, and when he arrived, Saiyox grimaced and yelled in anguish, cursing. His cow had died during the night, and now his family was left without any kind of food that could last. Saiyox turned away and began to walk. Can things get any worse, he thought, and just then, his barn collapsed. "Why are you doing this to me? Why? What did I do to turn your favor against me? Tell me!" he screamed to the sky, shaking his fists at nothing. As he stood there sobbing, a voice called out to him. "Are you ready to listen now, even after all of this misfortune?" It was Go'lbluz, and he stood at the gate of the barn. "Saiyox, you know that I can help you. Let me. With my method, you will have all of the crop you need, and more. Just listen to me."

 

     "Go'lbluz! What are you doing here? You're risking your life be showing your face here. You must have a deathwish!" Saiyoux replied. "Yes, I know," Go'lbluz said, "but I felt that my family was in need. Please, let me help you. If not for yourself, then do it for Dscleroux and your children." "Okay," Saiyox replied,"I'll do it. Not because I want to, but because my family needs me to be strong for them, even if I can't be strong for myself." "Come. Gather your things," Go'lbluz said, smiling. "We have much work to do."

 

     When they arrived at Go'lbulz's farm, Saiyox began to ask many questions about the way that Go'lbluz maintained and grew such a large crop every season. "Let's just say that the spirits have a hand in it all," Go'lbluz said. Once Saiyox was settled in, Go'lbluz led him out to the field, and they began to work. Saiyox learned of irrigation and new methods of cultivation that would yield a larger crop much quicker. "And let's not forget the special ingredient," Go'lbluz said with a chuckle as he pulled a flask out of his pocket. "what is that?" Saiyox asked him. "Remember when I said that the spirits had a hand in it all?" Go'lbluz replied. Saiyox simply stared at him in disbelief. He was shocked. It all made sense now: the size of the crop was unhuman; there was no way that a single man could keep a farm this large all by himself. "No," Saiyox stammered, "I can't do this. No. Not this. Please...let there be another way." Go'lbluz laughed. "I wish that there was," he said, "but this is how it goes. You see, the elders found out that I knew about the pond, what it really did. Didn't you wonder why those codgers are still alive, even after all of this time? Why do you think they wanted to have me hanged? I had to leave; with as much as I knew, they wouldn't let me live a fortnight."

    

     "But, why don't you stop? It's never too late," Saiyox said. "Oh, trust me, brother. It's far too late," Go'lbluz said. "Can I trust you with my secret?" "You can trust us, traitor!" a stern voice called out. Go'lbluz and Saiyox spun around to face a score of men outfitted with pitchforks and pikes. "Ah, I see," the man said. "Brothers in betrayal to the open arms that held them up in dire times. What a splendid repayment, with an abysmal interest. Now you will both hang!" "No!" Saiyox said. "It's not how it seems! This is beneficial for us all! Don't you see? We could feed the entire village for years with this method? And you call this heresy? And to think that the fate that awaits a man that only wants to fufill the needs of his wife and children is the same of that which is for theives to suffer? I will not stand for it! Your strength may lie in numbers, but by my lifeforce and will, you will not take me! Come, if you will!"

 

     The men, anxious to charge down the hill and overtake their captors began to waiver in spirits and contemplate their actions. One man finally spoke. "You're right. Why should we kill a man for trying to help his family? Every man here today knows that he would willingly do the same for his family, no matter what the cost! Should we martyr these brave men only for the sake of our denial? No, I think not! Come, and let your noble deeds bring prosperity and brotherhood alike!"

Reviews

[Kimmee Jean]

its a bit weird but really interesting...kinda ...i dunno but i like it