Imagine a farmer fortunate enough to have a perennial spring of water on his land. Such good fortune was extremely rare in a land almost entirely dependent on rainfall. Never again would he need to worry about irrigation for his crops. The spring provides for all his life’s needs—directly or indirectly, harvest after harvest. Can you even imagine someone stupid enough to willingly abandon such a priceless asset?19 What would be the alternative? Well, imagine the same farmer, hacking away for years
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