With the prosperity of science and technology over the past decade, the life and work of farmers today are very different from those dating back a hundred years. There are lots of changes in farmers’ workload, from which we can reach the conclusion that although farmers living today are better off, they are not leading a happier life than those of the past century.

    The first change is that farmers utilize machines nowadays to till the earth as much as possible rather than tilling it in person. This is a significant improvement in farmers’ work and life.

    Thanks to machines, farmers have no need to get up early any more to do the whole day’s work and to climb into bed with weariness and physical pain. Farmers may feel more convenient and comfortable today.

    What’s more, some reformed technologies in farming have gradually increased the productivity and quality of agricultural products. In other words, these advancements have offered a good opportunity for farmers to enjoy a more comfortable life.

    However, farmers don’t seem to have a happier life after they were unchained to the earth. As the saying goes, “Science and technology is a double-edged sword.” It is cheering to see farmers be freer and less tired but it is also worrying to see them be lazier and addicted to gambling games like mahjong.

    Furthermore, because fewer labors are needed to work on the farm, the youngsters in the family tend to bring income from big cities where they can learn about advanced ideas and knowledge.

    As a result, the family is divided into several smaller families with only the old left in the hometown. They lack care physically and mentally. We can imagine a scene in which farmers were working on the farm 100 years ago, their children all gathered to help.

    They had meals together, played together and slept together. They never forgot the sweat dropping on the ground, the moment they laughed without worries, and the time being simple but content.

    Though they were tired every day, one night of sleep would always vanish the weariness and bring about happiness. Living this kind of life was about experiencing pain with pleasure. But some farmers today spend too much time gambling, which makes people pessimistic. As for emotional changes, farmers today are more lonely and passive.

    All in all, farmers are getting richer than those of a hundred years ago while their spirit is getting weaker and weaker. I don’t mean that it’s not good to exploit the new technologies, but I don’t suggest that farmers should become better off at the cost of fulfilling emotions.

    Compared with material comforts, spiritual satisfaction is more essential. The simple and happy life of a hundred years ago was more close to humanity’s true nature. What is truly needed is belongingness, love, passion for knowledge and the fullness of the spiritual life.