WB 38-80. Respond to any of these you like, and feel free to submit and reply to questions of your own. Remember, the exams come from our daily questions (which will be reconstructed as objective-format questions). Post your comments prior to class, preferably the day before.
1. Do you know anyone who lives on land occupied by their ancestors over two centuries ago? What do you think it does to a person's consciousness, to do that? 38
2. Is there particular significance in WB's move-in day? 39
3. Do you see an important connection between healthy land and healthy people? Do most people see it? Most Americans? 40
4. Do you hope someday to undertake a "reclamation project," if not on a farm then in some other way that you think might enhance your life, your family's, and your community's? 41-2
5. How do we get society to stop "subtracting" more than it adds to the land? 43
6. Do you personally feel a need to "affirm my own life as a thing decent in possibility"? 43
7. Do most of us live "superficially," not practically or responsibly, in relation to the places we call home? Is there a way to remedy that, short of taking up farming (or even gardening)? 44-5
8. COMMENT?: "The experience of one generation is not adequate to inform and control its actions." 46
9. How do we motivate people to not steal health and goods from the unborn? 47
10. Do you see a connection or resemblance between the description of Paul Hawken's Blessed Unrest (see below) and what WB says about the "shared cause" of the problems that generated the environmental movement, the civil rights movement, and the peace movement? 49
11. Do you agree about the difference between a mere crowd and a vital community? 51
12. Do most of us think about the weather in a way that participates in "public insanity"? 52
13. Do you agree about the power of a "good marriage"? 54 And about the importance of doing something directly about trash, driving less, turning off lights, not turning on the AC, etc.? 55
14. Have you gardened? Has it "enlarged for [you] the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating"? 56
15. Did Black Elk speak wisely? 58
(I invite you all to comment on the other essays in today's assignment as well, and suggest additional questions on them if you like.)
1. Do you know anyone who lives on land occupied by their ancestors over two centuries ago? What do you think it does to a person's consciousness, to do that? 38
ReplyDelete"I was looking at land where one of my great-great-great-grandfathers settled in 1803, and at the scene of some of the happiest times of my own life,"
Berry, Wendell. The World-Ending Fire (p. 38). Catapult. Kindle Edition.
My grandparents farm had been in the family since before the Cherokee Trail of Tears. One of the Cherokee removal groups went right in front of the house on the Old Golconda Rd and camped on the farm for around two years as each subgroup progressed west to Oklahoma. I remember how difficult it was for my aunt and uncles to agree to sell the farm after grandmother’s death. In the end the father-in-law of one of my cousins bought the farm after another cousin was unable to follow through on the purchase even though they had started to renovate the house intending to live in it. So, actually it is still in the family now for around 200 years.
8. COMMENT?: "The experience of one generation is not adequate to inform and control its actions." 46
ReplyDeleteThe true remedy for mistakes is to keep from making them. It is not in the piecemeal technological solutions that our society now offers, but in a change of cultural (and economic) values that will encourage in the whole population the necessary respect, restraint, and care. Even more important, it is in the possibility of settled families and local communities, in which the knowledge of proper means and methods, proper moderations and restraints, can be handed down, and so accumulate in place and stay alive; the experience of one generation is not adequate to inform and control its actions. Such possibilities are not now in sight in this country.
Berry, Wendell. The World-Ending Fire (p. 46). Catapult. Kindle Edition.
The farming wisdom of my grandparents and uncles has largely been lost now. They all gradually adopted modern conveniences and generally forgot the instinctive knowledge they had once used day to day to survive. My cousins have largely been the same way although one, Billy Ray, still tends to a small subsistence farm where he grows and raises most of his food. Others work in the tech sector, mining, or as prison guards and thereby live what is apparently a better and more modern life than Billy Ray and his family. I wonder though, if they are happier than Billy Ray…
8. COMMENT?: "The experience of one generation is not adequate to inform and control its actions." 46
ReplyDeleteI think this quote really captures both the impetus for politicians and civil society leaders to study history, but also the methods that cause society to really change. True societal change can be affected by single policy shifts, but its never solely driven by them. Societal change is an organic process that develops through the aggregation of individuals' choices over time. It's a process that all people are fundamentally involved in but also have limited control over, and the gradual environmental movements of the past century are great examples of this. They reflect that the best way to affect real change is to work with other people through a humanistic approach that seeks to foster this kind of wide cultural change.
4. I have always wanted to undertake a "reclamation project." Ideally when I'm done with school, I'll eventually be able to acquire some land and start cultivating a garden. It's my dream to be able to cultivate healthy and good quality food, not only for myself and my family, but also for my community. There a gardener in South Central, California that has converted his entire yard into a garden, in front and behind his house. Most of South Central is a food desert (I believe it's called) meaning there is no fresh or good quality food easily accessible to the majority of the community, though there's plenty of fast food restaurants and dialysis centers. Because of this, this gardener decided to not only cultivate a rich garden full of good quality fruits and vegetables, but he's also put up signs and let his neighborhood/community know that they can go grocery shopping for free in his front yard. That's the dream honestly. In a perfect world, maybe I could provide a family with dinner, and later that family can help me repair my roof, or machinery, or anything I don't have expertise in but maybe they do. All for free. All because we care about the lives of people past ourselves. Maybe its idealistic but I don't think it's impossible.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of an accessible food garden like this. I've always imagined what it would be like if even 50% of people put a small garden up in their front lawn and allowed people to take responsibly from it. Aside from mitigating some of the impact of monoculture lawns (lawn hate gang) I think it would afford people the opportunity to eat healthier and end up costing taxpayers less due to the health gains of a community.
DeleteI agree wholeheartedly with this comment. There was a study done in a vacant lot in a suburb of New York where instead of constructing a new building they planted various plants and recorded how frequently people would walk by or visit, and (with permission) they monitored things like heart rate in the area and a street over. They found that people would frequently alter their routes just to walk by and heart rates/anxiety were generally lower surrounded by all the greenery. It also proved to be a safe place for children to play. I believe this led to the lot becoming an urban garden for the community and folks are better for it.
ReplyDeleteBefore I transferred to MTSU I lived in east Tennessee and worked in a small county in southern Appalachia with a population of about 6500 and the lowest median income in the state. A great many of this county’s inhabitants lived on land that had been in their family since before the civil war. Hundred year old cantilever barns that were still in active use on the family farm were commonplace. This local permanence created a family legacy that runs deep into the soil, and that each member of the family carries. That barn isn’t just a barn, it’s the barn that your grandpappy told stories about helping raise when he was a child. Memories and subtext permeate the ground like thick morning fog rolling in from the river.
ReplyDeleteTo live on the land of generations is to bear the weight of those generations with every step and with every deed. For some, it’s an honor. For others, it’s a curse. For all, it shapes how you interact with the land and with your community.
Though I wouldn't call myself a good gardener, it is one of my very favorite activities. There's something so utterly special about the first tomato or pepper of the year. The knowledge that the food I'm eating is the sunlight and soil from my own backyard woven into the nutrients that will sustain me is beautiful. This year, my garden was a bit of a flop as I've never grown anything off of an apartment balcony in containers. I'm going to try to overwinter some of my plants, though, and plant next year's garden mainly using seeds from this year.
ReplyDelete1. Do you know anyone who lives on land occupied by their ancestors over two centuries ago? What do you think it does to a person's consciousness, to do that? 38
ReplyDeleteI do know someone who recently did live on a farm that had been owned by his family for many generations. He explained to me how he felt pride and purpose in his families land. similar to Wendell, he wanted to improve his land so as to pay it forward for his kids and their kids. He spent most of his life growing up doing that exact thing, but over the summer his family had to recently sell their family farm. I could see how hard this was for him and how much it affected his consciousness and his mental health. I think from the experience my friend had, having this land greatly affects and determines one mental mindset or consciousness, and people tie a lot of emotion into this land, making it all the worse to lose it or have something happen to it. The land is just as much apart of the family as any human.
4. Do you hope someday to undertake a "reclamation project," if not on a farm then in some other way that you think might enhance your life, your family's, and your community's? 41-2
ReplyDeleteSome day I do hope that I can take on a reclamation project in my life. Specifically, I would like to remodel or rebuild my home one day. I do not want to go as far as Wendell did and own my own farm, or own as many acres as he did, but I would love to have an environmentally efficient home where I can have a garden and a large back yard to explore. I agree with Wendell's reoccurring idea of having a place to stick your flag in. I would love to do this with a wife and kids, and create a spot that my family would be proud to call home.
I agree with both of you! I think if people live in an unkept and uncared for place then they will naturally have a more negative mindset to that place. Inversely, if others see the people of a land, town, city, etc. care and actively invest in their 'environment' then they will in turn care and work to improve the area. Something similar to what you two described can be seen in Boston when they moved a main highway underground and replaced the area with walkable parks and public spaces. The area seems more colorful, vibrant, and lively. There were more people who spent time there and even helped to grow businesses around the area. Showing, how when a land is healthy it can help to create healthier people and environments.
ReplyDelete