Once Upon a Business – Episode 105
The Turnip: Why Self-Knowledge Beats Chasing Riches
Lisa Bloom: There were once two brothers who both served as soldiers, and one was rich and the other was poor. The poor one, wishing to better himself, discarded his uniform and worked like a peasant. Then he dug and hoed his little field and sowed turnips. The seed came up, and one of the turnips grew to such an enormous size that it seemed as though it would never have finished. And it might have been called the Queen of Turnips, for its like had never been seen before, nor ever will be again.
Hi, I’m Lisa Bloom, the story coach, and you’re listening to Once Upon a Business. In each episode, we explore a story, a fairy tale, folktale or traditional story, so that we can discover the amazing lessons relevant for business and for entrepreneurs.
At last, the turnip was so big that it filled a cart and needed two oxen to draw it, and the peasant could not imagine what would come of it, whether it would bring good luck or bad. At last he said to himself, if I sell it, what shall I gain? I might eat it, but the little turnips would do as well for that. The best thing will be to take it to the king and offer it to him. So he loaded a cart, harnessed two oxen, and took it to the court to present it to the King. What is that extraordinary object? Said the king. I have seen many marvels in my time, but never anything so remarkable as this. What seed did it spring from? Perhaps it belongs to you, especially if you are a child of good luck.
Oh, no, said the peasant. Lucky I certainly am not, for I am a poor soldier who, since he could keep himself no longer, has hung up his uniform on a nail and tills the earth further. I have a brother who is rich and well known to you, my lord king. But I, because I have nothing, am forgotten by all the worlds. Then the king pitied him and said, you, poverty shall be at an end, and you shall receive such rich presents from me that your wealth will equal that of your brother. Thereupon, he gave him plenty of gold, lands, fields and flocks, and enriched him with precious stones, so that the other brother’s wealth could not be compared with his.
Now, when the rich brother heard what his brother with a single turnip had acquired, he envied him and pondered how he might gain a like treasure for himself. But he wanted to show himself much cleverer. So he took gold and horses and presented them to the king, feeling certain that he would give him a far handsomer gift. For if his brother got so much for a turnip, what would not he get for his beautiful things? The king took the present, saying that he could give him in return nothing rarer or better than the huge turnip. So the rich brother had to put his brother’s turnip into a cart and have it taken home. Then he did not know on whom to expend his wrath and bitterness till evil thoughts came to him, and he determined to kill his brother.
He hired murderers who were to place themselves in ambush. And then he went to his brother and said, dear brother, I know of a secret treasure, which we will carry off and divide. The other agreed and went without suspicion. But when they got out, the murderers sprang upon him, bound him, and prepared to hang him on a tree. While they were about it, they heard in the distance the clatter of hoofs and the sound of singing, which frightened them so much that they stuck their prisoner into a sack, head foremost, slung it up on a branch, and took to flight. But the man up in the sack worked a hole in it and stuck his head through.
Now the traveler turned out to be nothing more than a student, a young fellow who was riding through the wood, singing cheerily. When the man up in the sack saw someone down below, he called out, good day. You came in the nick of time. The student looked all around, but he could not make out where the voice came from. At last he said, who calls? A voice from above answered, raise your eyes. I’m sitting up here in the sack of wisdom, and in a short time I have learned so much that the wisdom of the schools is as air compared to mine. Soon I shall be quite perfect and shall come down and be the wisest of all mankind. I understand the stars and signs of the heavens, the blowing of the winds, the sand of the sea, the healing of sickness, the power of herbs, birds, and stones.
If you were once inside, you could feel what wonders flow from the sack of knowledge. When the student heard this, he was astonished and said, blessed be the hour when I met you. If only I too might get into the sack for a little. The other answered, as though unwillingly, I will let you in for a little while for payment and kind words, but you must wait an hour, as there is something rather difficult which I must learn first. But when the student had waited a little, he grew impatient and entreated permission to get in, so great was his thirst for knowledge. Then the man in the sack pretended to give in and said, in order that I may get out of the sack, you must let it down. Then you can get in.
So the student let it down, undid the sack and release the prisoner. And said, now pull me up as fast as possible. And he tried to get into the sack and stand upright in it. Stop. Said the other, that won’t do. And he packed him in head first, tied it up and slung up the disciple of wisdom, dangling him in the air, and said, how are you, my dear fellow? You will soon feel wisdom coming upon you and will have a most interesting experience. Sit still till you are wiser. Thereupon he mounted the student’s horse and rode off, but sent someone in an hour to let him down again.
This is from the Grimm’s Fairy Tales. What a rich story about authenticity, humility and resourcefulness. The poor brother works hard, and the giant turnip seems to be the reward for his effort and resourcefulness. And then, rather than sell it or eat it, he brings it to the king. That speaks to his humility and pure nature. His brother, on the other hand, proves to be selfish, ego driven, and acts as if he is entitled to everything. He fails to recognize and doesn’t seem to understand the importance of humility or sincerity. And so the poor brother is rewarded with riches and he’s satisfied. But the rich brother’s reward, which was a true gift for the poor brother, feels useless to him.
It’s interesting how so many fairy tales demonize wealth and exalt the poor. So the rich brother is so angry that he decides to kill his brother, that familiar theme in so many stories. I’ve always struggled with this theme in stories, the hatred of brothers. My siblings and I are very close, and yet I’ve witnessed the anger, jealousy, and even hatred that can be present between brothers. I guess this is why the theme shows up in stories. It’s another reflection on the human condition. So the story continues with almost an entirely new story, when the poor brother ends up caught upside down in a sack and tricks the student into letting him down and ending up in the sack himself.
I find this really interesting. The poor brother is not as innocent and righteous as we believed. He could have just asked for help, but instead he has to use trickery to get himself down by telling the student that it is the sack of wisdom. Perhaps this is the antidote to what I said earlier, the exaltation of the poor and the demonization of the rich. Maybe this is where we see that we are all capable of deceit and trickery, that no matter what, we need to be careful of that dishonest urgent that will have us do nasty things to others. Or maybe it’s just the poor brother using the same clever resourcefulness that won him the king’s favor. It’s a reminder that the real treasure isn’t wealth or knowledge. It’s knowing yourself, trusting your instincts, and staying adaptable in the face of life’s weird twists.
In business, we can’t solely rely upon our knowledge or our investments, that is our riches. We need to bring ourselves fully into the work. That means we have to show up authentically and ethically, not just because it’s good business practice, but also because we want to create a business that we can be proud of. We may be tempted by riches or giant turnips, or perhaps we’re persuaded by thinking we can learn or know our way through every challenge or opportunity. As the story teaches us, riches and knowledge are not enough. We need instead to avoid faking it or trying to outdo others for the sake of appearances, instead to lean into who you are and find value in the things that make you you. It might just transform your turn up into something extraordinary.
I’m Lisa Bloom and you’ve been listening to Once Upon a Business. You can find out more about me at story-coach.com. That’s story-coach.com. Once Upon a Business is part of the Mirasee FM Podcast Network, which also includes such shows as Course Lab and Making It. To catch the great episodes that are coming up on Once Upon a Business, please like and follow us on Mirasee FM’s YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people. Thank you. We’ll see you next time.