The Leaf Cutter’s Tale is a tale of delayed gratification as the basis of agriculture. Hunter-gatherers eat what they gather and eat what they hunt. Farmers don’t eat their seed corn; they bury it in the ground and wait months for a return. They don’t eat the compost with which they fertilise the soil and don’t drink the water with which they irrigate it. Again, it is all done for a delayed reward. And the leaf cutter ant got there first. Consider her ways and be wise.
