A village has one well used by everyone. Every family takes as much as they need
A village has one well used by everyone. Every family takes as much as they need. This year the well is running dry. The sarpanch says everyone should take less. A farmer says he only takes what his crop needs, so he is not the problem. Is the farmer right?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: The farmer is not right
Why
The farmer isn't lying — taken alone, his share really is just his crop's need, and no single share looks unreasonable. The trap is that the well doesn't respond to one person; it responds to EVERYONE'S taking added together. When one well feeds many, each can honestly say 'my part is small' while the total still empties it — so 'I'm reasonable on my own' can't be the test when the resource is shared. Picture one shared thali at a meal: each person takes a fair helping, yet if everyone takes their fair share at once, the last person finds it empty — no one was greedy, but sharing needs everyone to hold back together. The farmer is not right: with a shared well, fairness is measured by the total, not by each person's private share.
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