During this planting season we are reminded of the law of the seed, the law that says you reap what you sow, but also in proportion to how much you sow. Even when you have sown, you have to tend what you sow and nurture it.

This is when you see in living colour all around you growing and rejuvenating. Everything in this universe operates according to the law of the seed, nothing comes from nothing. Everything comes from something planted, be it a human being, a tree, a mollusc or bacteria.

It is ironic when during my trips to the village I learn of stories which are enlightening. Like the fact that the people, never planted anything, they just harvested, some of the seeds would accidentally spill into the ground during harvest and germinate when the rains came.

So they never planted and wondered why their harvests were poor. The law of the seed is also a law of consequences, how your actions today determine consequences down the line. Actions are seeds, words are seeds, and these actions and words will have consequences.

It is common to think of children as seed, they are even called such in most culture. It is more important to think of children as fertile ground than just seed. That way you can view seed as a talent to be nurtured. Seeing a child as a seed doesn’t let you appreciate the full potential of him or her.

The real seed is the talent in that child, one has to hope that by the time the child is grown you will have found some talent in them that can further their prospects in life. My father spent long hours trying to nurture talent, impressed by Boris Becker who was a millionaire by 17 due to his tennis skills.

There is a theory that if you practice something with full concentration for 500 hrs you will be a master at it, the key is concentration not 500 hours. Most famous sports stars and celebrities are where they are due to the support their parents gave in nurturing their talent.

The Williams’ sisters in tennis, Lewis Hamilton, Beyonce, Mylie Cyrus, and even going back further, the Jacksons. They were pushed to the limit by their parents, the most important talent they learn is perseverance, to never give up and keep going.

The law of the seed goes beyond planting, to nurturing and harvesting then replanting part of your harvest back to start the cyclical process again. In a way, you don’t always reap what you sow but you reap what you sow and nurture.

The thing I see among many Rwandans is that they expect to reap the most reward for the least effort, like the farmers who just reap dwindling harvests from accidental seeds. The best thing the law of the seed teaches you it to expect, not just hope for something. Plant your seed and nurture it and you can expect a bountiful harvest.

Ends