How Much Land Does a Man Need

We’re all witness to the results of greed rebounding throughout the world: economies are in turmoil, thousands are unemployed, and millions of homes are in foreclosure. It’s frightening, but in the midst of the bad, there is good, and the meltdown is a lesson to be learned, a reminder.

Greed is not a new concept: Chaucer spoke of it in the Canterbury tales when he stated that “avarice is the root of all evil” in the fourteenth century. More recently, in 1886, Leo Tolstoy, author of the masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina, explored the need for moderation in his tale, “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”

The story centers around Pahom the peasant, who aspires to own a forty acre farm. He works hard and manages to scrape and borrow money for the land. One would think that the farm would bring him joy, but it doesn’t.

Pahom craves more and sells the farm, his house, and cattle. He moves to a new area and buys even more land. Pahom plants wheat and prospers.

Still, the new found prosperity it is not enough. Pahom decides to travel three hundred miles away with his servant to speak with the chief of a tribe who is selling land at the rate of one thousand rubles a day. Imagine! For one thousand rubles, Pahom can acquire as much land as he can walk in the time period between sunrise to sunset. All he needs to do is make friends with the chief by bringing gifts.

What a deal! Pahom arrives and befriends the tribe members. An agreement is reached and they’ll allow him to chose whatever land his heart desires.

The next day, Pahom begins to walk, dreaming of the huge tract of land that will be his. He walks all day, marking the boundaries of his land with a shovel and planning what he will do with his new property.

As sun begins to set, Pahom is still determined and continues to walk up and down the hills. He’s breathless, tired, and anxious because time is running out: the red ball of the setting sun is clearly visible on the horizon.

Before Pahom could complete his task, however, he falls flat on his face, dead. His servant finds him, takes the shovel, and digs a grave long enough for Pahom to lie in.

Six feet from head to toe was all Pahom needed in the end.

So, Tolstoy reminds us that although it is admirable to have goals and aspirations, we should be grateful for what we have and set boundaries for ourselves.