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The job of journalists, at least real ones who aren't working for partisan right- and left-wing media outlets (yes, I'm talking about you, Fox News and MSNBC) is to learn about important/interesting events and issues and then to pass on that information to readers in written or verbal form. Since writing is the one thing I'm halfway good at, I spent my adult life as a print journalist and, at the end, a TV journalist, too.

I hope that more often than not, I helped readers and viewers better understand important stuff for which they lacked sufficient time to understand fully on their own. In the process, I learned many things from farmers, ranchers and other agriculturalists that have helped me in my personal life, including my ongoing battle with cancer.

Here are the most notable:

The farmer was explaining, in a positive-as-possible way, about drought parching his crops. At the end, he said, "I hate to complain, but we've got our share of problems right now."

Then he frowned and said quietly, "Last year I listened to a farm show speaker who urged us to use 'challenges' instead of 'problems' and normally I do. But this time I forgot. So if you use that line about 'problems,' could you please change it to 'challenges'?" A reasonable request, it seemed to me, and I agreed.

There have been times when I was in a hospital room, facing various unpleasant issues, and said out loud to myself, "Challenges, not problems. Challenges, challenges, challenges." A few times the nurses overheard me and looked at me a little strangely. But I think they understood — just as most readers understand now.

The farmer was talking about how he'd built up his farm into one of the largest and most successful in his county. "I'm just smarter and better than the other guys (nearby farmers)," he said. He was probably right. But he most certainly came across as an arrogant jerk.

Bragging isn't a particular character flaw for me. But listening to that farmer persuaded me to further guard against it.

The rancher said he had survived tough times only because he followed advice from his banker, the extension service and successful ranchers around him. I said something about him being too modest, that he deserved credit, too. "The only credit I deserve is listening to people who are a lot smarter and more knowledgeable than me," he insisted.

Well, he was being overly modest, of course, but his point about listening to smart, knowledgeable people was exactly right. It reaffirmed what I already believed and something I've put into practice countless times in the four and a half years I've struggled with cancer.

The rancher was talking about how his ranch was struggling (poor prices and uncooperative weather) and how he was responding mentally and emotionally. "I could pretend that everything is OK. But I need to be realistic. Positive, yeah, but always realistic," he told me. "There's no room for wishful thinking."

That's true for all of us, whatever our occupation. Wishful thinking may make life temporarily easier, but it doesn't end well.

Ultimately, of course, we're all responsible for our own thinking and behavior. Learning from the right people will help us think and act more wisely, I'd like to think I've done that myself.

Jonathan Knutson is a former Agweek reporter. He grew up on a farm and spent his career covering agriculture. He can be reached at packerfanknutson@gmail.com.