How can you change the world?
In the garden, one seed at a time
It can be somewhat depressing if you ponder too long on how broken the planet and society is. A spiral of despair can quickly consume with an enormous sense of foreboding and anxiety.
Simply take a glimpse at the headlines or news and realise the shocking state we are in as a species. Wars, covid, climate change, Brexit, knife crime, drugs, shootings, the list goes on and is unyielding. Such macro global problems persist in the background of daily life as we observe from afar doing little or nothing about it. Occasionally remarking at how shocking the news is and some might be realising that we should be doing a better job after all these years living on this planet as a species.
Instead, our attention is focused on our immediate daily lives and the elusive material gain and self-gratification.
It’s no wonder that mental health issues are on the rise.
Yet, it has been heartwarming to observe some changes over the past 12 months on a large scale that might represent a glimmer of light. That might just result in a gradual rebalance to the order of society with nature.
With the hardship and challenges of covid, millions, if not billions of people have been stuck indoors. Travel has been essentially stopped and although it has been difficult to adjust, it has also resulted in more people enjoying nature. Be it walks in the park, the countryside or developing a garden or window box. There are more people with pets than ever before and our communities coming together to support each other in their time of need. Our TV schedules now have a healthy dose of creativity, craftsmanship, baking, gardening and farming, demonstrating the audience interest in more wholesome life pursuits.
Having a garden is the one thing that all Japanese centenarians have in common. They all spend a portion of each day tending to their garden and vegetables and use it as a time to reconnect with themselves and with nature. Working with the soil, nurturing seeds through the process and through the seasons to put food on their table is a wonderful experience. It allows for time to be mindful, meditative, thoughtful and teaches patience and compassion. It also helps to lead a long and healthy life.
You cannot rush nature, it will happen at its own pace. You cannot change the world all at once, but one seed at a time.
It does leave one thinking that if everyone made time to reconnect with nature then would the individual benefits compound to make the world a better place and turn the turmoil into peace?
