"My grandfather planted these crops. My father tended them. I will harvest them."
The Chen family had been farming on Miranda, one of Uranus's moons, for three generations. But they had only harvested their crops once. That's because on Miranda, one season lasts 42 Earth years—longer than most human lifetimes.
"My grandfather planted these crops when he was 25," explained 30-year-old Li Chen. "My father tended them for his entire adult life. And now, I will harvest them. One harvest, three generations."
🌱 The Planting
Li's grandfather had planted the crops 42 years ago, at the beginning of Miranda's spring. He had known he would never see them harvested—the harvest would come 42 years later, at the end of summer. But he had planted them anyway, for his children and grandchildren.
"Why plant something you'll never harvest?" people had asked him.
"Because someone will harvest it," he had replied. "And that's enough."
🌿 The Tending
Li's father had spent his entire adult life tending crops he would never harvest. He had watered them, fertilized them, protected them from pests, all knowing that the harvest would come long after he was gone.
"It was strange," Li's father had told him. "Spending your whole life caring for something you'll never see finished. But it was also beautiful. I was part of something bigger than myself."
🌾 The Harvest
Now, 42 years after planting, Li was preparing for the harvest. The crops were ready. The season was ending. It was time.
"This harvest belongs to three generations," Li said. "My grandfather who planted, my father who tended, and me who harvests. We're all part of this moment."
As Li harvested the crops, he thought about his own children. They would plant the next crop, tend it for their entire lives, and their children would harvest it. One harvest per generation. One season per lifetime.
💭 The Meaning
Li realized that on Miranda, farming wasn't about immediate results. It was about patience. It was about thinking beyond your own lifetime. It was about being part of something that spanned generations.
"On Earth, you plant and harvest in the same year," Li said. "On Miranda, you plant for your grandchildren. That changes everything."
💡 Reflection Questions
- How would 42-year seasons change how we think about farming and agriculture?
- What does it mean to plant something you'll never harvest?
- How does understanding generational time scales help us appreciate long-term thinking?