In his short story How Much Land Does a Man Require? Leo Tolstoy tells of a peasant named Pakhom who is not content with his lot in life. He believes that if he had more land, he would be content. Pakhom sets out to buy more land, working hard to get the money to acquire more and more, but contentment continues to elude him. His possessive nature leads to arguments with his neighbors, and he finds himself unable to trust anyone. Finally he hears of a simple group of people known as the Bashkirs who own huge plots of land. Pakhom goes to them and makes an arrangement. For the sum of one thousands rubles, they will give him as much land as he can walk around in a single day. The catch to the deal is that if he fails to return to the starting point before the sun sets, he will forfeit all his money and receive no land. Starting early in the morning, Pakhom begins to walk, going far to ensure he will receive as much land as possible. Late in the day he realizes he has gone too far and begins running back. He reaches the line just as the sun sets—and falls dead. Pakhom is buried in a grave six feet long, answering the question in the title of the story. When we allow any sinful desire to linger in our hearts, it will not stay small. Instead it will continue to grow and grow until it takes control of our lives. When we tolerate wickedness inwardly, it will eventually be expressed outwardly, and it will lead, as sin always does, to death.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 23:36:13 +0000
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