Give Nothing to Those Who Choose Not to Work: A Tale of “The Little Red Hen”

The Little Red Hen might have first been published in 1874, but it taught lessons well into the 1990s. We’re at such an entitled place in history, it’s imperative that we began retelling the story of a hen who worked without help. If you’ve ever done all the hard work while being denied help, this is why you shouldn’t feel guilty saying no to those who want to reap the benefits without the work.

Little Red Hen: A Summary

In the story, a hen finds some wheat seeds at a time when farmers are planting. She takes these seeds to her group of friends that includes a cow, cat and others. Her idea is to plant the seeds and harvest wheat for processing into bread later. Knowing that preparing the soil, planting and harvesting will be a ton of work, the hen attempts to enlist help.

In the story, the little red hen says, “Who will help me plant the wheat?”

The others reply as follows:

“‘Moooo.  Not I,’ said the cow.

‘Neigh.  Not I,’ said the horse.

‘Meow.  Not I,’ said the kitty cat.”

Undeterred, the hen gets to work prepping the soil and planting the wheat. Still, the work is too much, and the hen goes back to her friends to ask them for help trimming the wheat. They decline.

As the seasons go by, the hen continues her hard work. Periodically, she asks her friends for help, and they repeatedly decline.

Finally, the hen has done everything except baked and eaten the bread. She asks her friends, “Who will help me bake this bread?” Needless to say, they all say, “Not I.” And the story goes:

”So the little red hen said, ‘Then I will bake the bread all by myself.’ And so she took the flour, mixed it and kneaded it and put it in the oven.  And while the bread was baking, it smelled wonderful!  The cow and the horse and the cat came running when they smelled that fresh bread.

The little red hen took the bread out of the oven and asked her friends, ‘Who will help me eat the bread?’

‘Moooo.  I will!” said the cow.

‘Neigh.  I will!’ said the horse.

‘Meow.  I will!’ said the kitty cat.

But the little red hen said, ‘Oh, no, no, no!  I planted the seeds of wheat, I cut the wheat, I took the wheat to the mill and brought home the flour, and I baked the bread, all by myself.  Now I will eat the bread – all by myself!’ And so she did, and it was delicious!”

Why It Matters

How many hours did you work to get your last paycheck? How many days did you wake up tired and aching but determined to get out of bed for work? How long did it take you to save for your car, or how much does it cost you to maintain?

Those questions at the forefront of your mind, it takes a lot, and you leaned on no one. In fact, no one offered a hand. You took the risk with no guarantees and made it happen. So, why should you go out of your way to give what you’ve earned to those who didn’t help?

As you know, collaboration is vital. Cooperation is how we accomplish gargantuan tasks together. Yet there isn’t always a “together.” Sometimes, it’s you, God and your thoughts. During some of the hardest times in your life, there will be just one set of footprints in the sand. Those will belong to God, who carries you when the path is too much. Still, when you build an empire, extend invitations to others for help building.

Because it is not helpful to just give without teaching, inviting others to work alongside you gives them skills. From you, they learn what to do and when to do it. You might give them a slice of bread if they help you process the wheat. The real reward is their learning to turn wheat into bread and how to bake it. You’ve taught them at least two skills. Offer to teach or involve, and don’t feel bad about not giving to those who don’t contribute.

Additionally, having a little money in the bank doesn’t mean you have to lend it to your friend. You don’t have to give a ride to your cousin every 29 minutes because you have a car. At no point should you feel guilty about saying no when others contributed nothing and want to take everything.

The Takeaway

When you’re making moves to improve your life, you want to involve others. You want them to reap some of the benefits but also do some of the work. Collaboration is necessary and fruitful, so it’s only natural to invite others. However, some will decline but double back and ask for some of the benefits. Say no. Don’t enable them. They could have worked alongside you. Instead, they avoided the marathon and took an Uber to the finish line. Now, they want you to give them what they’ve choses not to work for. You remember the sweat, aches and pains. Those are reminders that you did the work. They did not. You all got what you worked for. Everyone should be happy.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block. Join the email list to get notifications on new blog posts and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human.