I started reading "The Unsettling of America" by Wendell Berry in the waiting room while my wife was having a basil cell carcinoma removed this morning. All went well and I have enjoyed sitting with her today, not sure she agrees (just kidding). After starting Mr. Berry's book I started considering what he had been expressing in the first thirty pages of the book. The book is about agriculture and how it drives societies push for expansion and greed tends to cause everything in the way to change its culture based on the interaction with the invading society. While that seemed wordy and if you have or do read this book you may not agree but that's the beauty of owning your own perception. It's probably not fair to go too far until I get more of the book read but I am impressed with the underlying theme. If we look back on societies from the past there is a pattern that is recognizable. An invading society comes into a new arena and inflicts its culture on the existing cultures and while it's done in the name of advancing a culture it has often destroyed the heart of cultures to the point they literally disappear or at least all semblance of the heart of their culture disappears. There may be pockets of a culture that remain but they become so isolated that they are looked at from a position of superiority by all other cultures which defeats the life of the culture that made them unique. The ones that remain true to their origins become outcasts, rebels, non-conformists, and any other label the society in control chooses to label them. Doesn't sound agricultural at all does it. Agriculture is the common thread of all humanity. God intended everything to be agricultural in nature in other words everything is to renew in a like kind fashion. So Mr. Berry lends a thought that the earth has a way of sustaining itself and the people have developed a "save the..." Society that actually is hypocritical in its own definition. For example "preserving the scenic byways of America", this is a position of only caring about what is seen by a majority of the people traversing the scenic byways but what about the heart of the land? So what you find is that many of the clubs that appear geared to save the earth really need to be dissected for the heart of what they say they are attempting to accomplish. Many of the clubs, while putting on a good argument, only pursue those venues that make them appear credible. Further investigation into their finance/investment profiles would reveal portfolio's that have investments in the fossil fuels, strip mining, etc. Some have gone back and corrected their portfolios to be more responsible to their cause which is commendable but they still often miss the heart of truly saving something while enjoying what the thing has to offer. A lot of this is simply my perception and I do reserve the right to change at any time. Mr. Berry does offer an answer that has the opportunity to change a culture but it must be embraced as a measure of correcting a cultural wrong to bring correction. I perceive Mr. Berry suggests we look at ways to work with the land instead of plunder, destroy and leave it behind. He gives lots of facts and numbers that would lead us to believe we as a people (individually) can change the way we do things and really be much more in line with the way we were intended to operate. This is where he uses agriculture to set the idea that we can change. If we choose to work the land to provide food for ourselves and others, we must consider the longevity of building the farm to be an enduring source for generations. If we look at corporate farming today very few exercise crop rotation. They tend to supplement the loss of nutrients with synthetic fertilizers and use equipment that tends to compact the ground until the workable soil is deeper than the equipment is capable of reaching. In my opinion he really pushes the idea that the small family farm is disappearing but if re-established and the small farming communities are taught how to nurture the ground correctly there is still hope that the earth will release its bounty and become a partner with the small farmer so that an enduring farming effort becomes fruitful for the farmers and for the earth they inhabit. I will stop there until I read more.
I will pose some thoughts though. I live on a little under three acres. I have not been working in cooperation with the soil under my feet but I'm going to change. We have three goats and a horse. I hate to admit it but we have overgrazed our small plot of earth. My plan forward is replenish the nutrients we have depleted. We intend to replant the native grasses that are thinning. We are going to utilize the fertilizer provided by our animals. Our animals do not receive supplements. They're given organic hay throughout the winter in other words no sprays are used in the pastures we have gotten our hay from so what passes through them is truly organic at the end. We have started our garden. We tend to put our garden in a different location at least every other year if we even put one in. I will update the progress of my effort as this year progresses.
One of the other points in Mr. Berry's book also changes the idea of letting the land go back to its original beginnings for me. When Adam was removed from the garden he was told he would have to work the land to get his provision for all of his days. This means there had to be a partnership between the land and man. The land would give forth its bounty if the men worked it according to the rule put in place at his expulsion from the garden of Eden. Nothing said man couldn't exploit the land but the land has a say so in that outcome. You may think I've lost it but the reality is if man works in unison with the earth, the earth lets go of a bounty year after year after year. If man exploits the land he only gets what he thinks is all the land has to offer and often does enormous damage that may take years for the land to recover. All the while the land would gladly relinquish its bounty and continue to do so for many many years if we would work with the land to maintain its vitality. My point is if we pay attention to the needs of the land, in other words replenish the nutrients as they are being reduced. Another way is allow the land to rest, this is a principle of the sabbath put in place by God. give the land a sabbath, let it rest. Anyway....
This all points to us focusing on taking care of, respecting, and honoring the things that provide us the sustenance we need to live peaceful fruitful lives. It can be fruitful to honor the guidelines given to us by our creator. Honor the sabbath, sew seed back into the source of your blessing, listen, pay attention to the desires of that which supplies us. At the end of all this our position in this matter determines our measure of stewardship. If we look at the parable of the talents it is not just a story and it isn't just about money. Let's replace the money with.... wives, husbands, children, pets, houses, cars, jobs, food, ideas, skills, gifts,etc. What are you doing with all of these? Look at the rewards as they were given according to the return. Let me know how that works out for you.
While all of that is whats running through my mind there are other outside influences that are also pressing. It seems ironic that I work in the oil industry and am liking what I have read today. I also think that every industry can work in unison with the earth and the limits of operating as a partner have yet to be discovered to their fullest. It would really be amazing to see how far the idea of partnering can go if its embraced properly.
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