Photo by Joaquín Rivero on Unsplash

A teacher walked into the classroom with a curious smile. In his hand, he held up a photograph of a majestic elephant, its tusks gleaming in the sunlight and its powerful frame casting a long shadow across the plains.

With a twinkle in his eye, he asked the students a simple question:
“Tell me, what is the value of this elephant?”

The students, excited by the challenge, quickly began calculating. They broke down the elephant into its parts:

Meat for sale — thousands of pounds at a good price.
Ivory tusks — rare and valuable.
Skin and hide — could be used for luxury goods.
Bones and other parts — all marketable.

After careful consideration, the students tallied the numbers.

“The total value of the elephant is $18,000!” they proudly declared.

The teacher smiled but wasn’t finished with the lesson. He asked:
“And how much would it cost to replicate the work an elephant does in the wild?”

A Hidden Value Revealed

The students were puzzled.

“What work?” they asked.

The teacher explained:
“An elephant spreads seeds across vast distances through its ordure as it roams the land. Those seeds grow into forests, grasslands, and ecosystems that provide food and shelter for countless creatures. How much would it cost for humans to replicate that natural process-transporting seeds, fertilizing the soil, and nurturing new life over hundreds of miles?”

The students began calculating again. They factored in the cost of labor, transportation, fertilizers, and conservation efforts. Their new total?

$1,800,000.

The room fell silent as the students grasped the enormity of the lesson. The true value of the elephant wasn’t in the price of its parts-it was in the life it sustains and the ecosystems it helps create.

The teacher concluded:
“When we value things only for what they can be sold for, we miss their true worth. The elephant’s value cannot be measured in parts-it lies in its role within the whole system of life. This is the essence of stewardship: to see the whole, not just the parts.”

What About Human Lives?

The same holds true for how we value human lives in the current economy. In many systems, people are reduced to their labor, productivity, or market contributions. A person’s worth is often measured in terms of their ability to produce profit or consume goods, while the richness of their culture, relationships, knowledge, and community contributions go unseen.

Think of a grandparent who tells stories, a neighbor who watches over children, or a farmer who tends to the land. These contributions don’t show up on a paycheck, but they enrich our communities in ways no market can measure.

Recent global events, like the tragic situation of Israeli hostages taken captive, remind us of the immeasurable value of human lives. The world watches as families and communities suffer, knowing that no sum of money could ever compensate for the loss of a loved one or the anguish of separation. These situations highlight a crucial truth: human life cannot be reduced to a transactional figure or a market value. The worth of each person lies in their relationships, experiences, and the connections they nurture within their communities.

If we step back and ask:
“What is the value of the stories they share, the wisdom they pass on, the communities they build, and the care they provide to others?”
We would find that human life, too, cannot be valued in parts-it is priceless in its wholeness.

The Philosophy of SOIL & SEEDs

The story of the elephant mirrors the philosophy behind SOIL & SEEDs. Traditional systems often treat land and people as commodities to be bought, sold, and developed for profit. But SOIL & SEEDs recognizes that land and life are more than their market value-they are the foundation of ecosystems, communities, and future generations.

SOIL represents the fertile foundation for shared stewardship. It acknowledges that land is a common trust, to be protected and nurtured for the benefit of all.

SEED sparks innovation by supporting community-based projects that empower local economies and grow sustainable opportunities.

Like the elephant’s role in nurturing life, SOIL & SEEDs aims to protect the natural and social systems that sustain us all. The goal is to ensure that land remains a source of affordable housing, sustainable agriculture, and ecological health, while communities thrive through mutual support and shared stewardship.

A Call to Action

The true worth of land and life is not in their parts-it’s in their whole.

The lesson is simple yet profound:
We must become stewards, not owners. We must value the whole, not just the parts.

As you reflect on this story, ask yourself:
“What is the value of a community? Of a life lived in connection with the land and with others?”

Through SOIL & SEEDs, we commit to seeing the whole picture-to valuing the true worth of our communities and ecosystems. Let us be the stewards who preserve what cannot be priced and nurture what cannot be replaced.

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