In this pretentious, urban society, there seems to be a social stigma attached to farming and farmers.
An example of this is in one of my previous entries, in which a substitute teacher said "who would want to be a farmer?"
Honestly, I don't really care if people think negatively on that profession. Every has the right to choose their own path.
I am getting sick of the urban/suburban shallowness that exists in many places. People in cities and some suburbs are so afraid of hard physical work. Their definition of hard, strenuous work, is using the computer, or making a call.
People should stop looking down on farmers, because they provide food.
If all of the supermarkets closed down, it would be interesting to see what would happen. I wonder if people would start to farm their own food, or if they would find another way to be separated from the production.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The pace of life
"There is more to life than increasing its speed"
Gandhi.
If only people actually listened to this quote, and followed it. I see these people who are in such a hurry from the time they wake up, until they go to bed. What will be accomplished by rushing to complete tasks, or to get somewhere? The only result will be stress piling up, and the risk of injury increases.
The school that I attend only gives us seven minutes to get between classes, so we are expected to run from place to place, in order to avoid being penalized. If we're late, we get punished. Why don't people just stop, take a deep breath, and just relax. I have a hard time getting accustomed to such a hectic pace.
Another problem is that the integrity of the students is always called into question. One of my teachers told me that I can't use my laptop for quizzes, because he can't ensure that I won't cheat. In history, yesterday, the teacher had given an in-class writing assignment. He collected the papers at the end of the period, and said that he would let us work on them again today. Today in class, he found out that another student had not handed his in at the end of yesterday's class, so he automatically made the assumption that the student would cheat on an assignment.
What has education turned into?
Gandhi.
If only people actually listened to this quote, and followed it. I see these people who are in such a hurry from the time they wake up, until they go to bed. What will be accomplished by rushing to complete tasks, or to get somewhere? The only result will be stress piling up, and the risk of injury increases.
The school that I attend only gives us seven minutes to get between classes, so we are expected to run from place to place, in order to avoid being penalized. If we're late, we get punished. Why don't people just stop, take a deep breath, and just relax. I have a hard time getting accustomed to such a hectic pace.
Another problem is that the integrity of the students is always called into question. One of my teachers told me that I can't use my laptop for quizzes, because he can't ensure that I won't cheat. In history, yesterday, the teacher had given an in-class writing assignment. He collected the papers at the end of the period, and said that he would let us work on them again today. Today in class, he found out that another student had not handed his in at the end of yesterday's class, so he automatically made the assumption that the student would cheat on an assignment.
What has education turned into?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Buying
Grocery shopping is a perfect example of a problem with our society.
We buy things that can be made at home.
We buy meat, which can be raised humanely, and with a low carbon footprint, on a farm.
We buy vegetables, which we can grow ourselves.
We buy baked goods, which aren't as good as home-made.
I really wonder what would be so terrible if we were all self sufficient, and sustainable. What kind of negative impact would there be if we didn't need to shop for everything? None. It would be good for us all, because it would require learning, and effort.
We buy things that can be made at home.
We buy meat, which can be raised humanely, and with a low carbon footprint, on a farm.
We buy vegetables, which we can grow ourselves.
We buy baked goods, which aren't as good as home-made.
I really wonder what would be so terrible if we were all self sufficient, and sustainable. What kind of negative impact would there be if we didn't need to shop for everything? None. It would be good for us all, because it would require learning, and effort.
Thoughts
I go through the same routine every day. That would be fine if I was enjoying my routine, but I am not. I have no idea what the aspirations of my "peers" are, but I would be willing to bet that I am the only one who wants a sustainable, and self sufficient life in a rural area. The students who are considered to be motivated probably want to hold a lucrative position, such as lawyer or something along those lines. I bet they give no thought to their own happiness or fulfilment, because the school doesn't allow them to think in such a profound way. The only thinking permitted by the school board involves circling an answer on a test.
In history class yesterday, we were discussing capital punishment. The substitute teacher asked us to guess what states outlawed capital punishment. I guessed Vermont as one of those states, and I was right. On the way out of the classroom, I made a comment about the beauty of Vermont. The substitute teacher agreed with me, but said that there are no jobs in Vermont. I replied that there are farming jobs. I was quite surprised when the substitute teacher replied "who would want to be a farmer? It's really hard work." I had to bite my tongue when hearing this, because I could have made a very sarcastic remark.
As I sit in a plastic chair, attached to a small desk surface, I want to be out in a field picking crops, or milking a cow, or even shovelling cow excrement. At least that would serve a real purpose. What gets accomplished when you memorize the periodic table, and can give the atomic number of any element? Nothing.
I would be willing to bet that most students will forget the periodic table, or Pythagorean Theorem.
I can't take the pressure and the judging. The only judgements I want are the fat and protein levels in the milk produced by my cows.
In history class yesterday, we were discussing capital punishment. The substitute teacher asked us to guess what states outlawed capital punishment. I guessed Vermont as one of those states, and I was right. On the way out of the classroom, I made a comment about the beauty of Vermont. The substitute teacher agreed with me, but said that there are no jobs in Vermont. I replied that there are farming jobs. I was quite surprised when the substitute teacher replied "who would want to be a farmer? It's really hard work." I had to bite my tongue when hearing this, because I could have made a very sarcastic remark.
As I sit in a plastic chair, attached to a small desk surface, I want to be out in a field picking crops, or milking a cow, or even shovelling cow excrement. At least that would serve a real purpose. What gets accomplished when you memorize the periodic table, and can give the atomic number of any element? Nothing.
I would be willing to bet that most students will forget the periodic table, or Pythagorean Theorem.
I can't take the pressure and the judging. The only judgements I want are the fat and protein levels in the milk produced by my cows.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Another Day.
Another day has passed. Another boring urban day, without any livestock to care for or crops to harvest.
I see these people in Southern California, and they pretend to be connected to the food that they are eating, but one can't be fully aware until they have participated in the raising of the animal, or the picking of the crop.
When someone buys a carton of milk at a grocery store, they have no idea what went into the milk. They don't know what the cows are like. That is deprivation, in my opinion.
I long for the day when I can be sustainable, and raise my own animals, and grow my own crops. I feel so detached from the whole process.
I am starting to think about college already.
At my school, the students who intend to get a good education often look at colleges because of prestige, or popularity, even if the college doesn't suit their interests. There is this idea in American culture that a degree from a first rate, well known university can help you earn money, even if you're not happy.
This is something I refuse to do. I refuse to go to a college based on brand value.
I am thinking about a small college called Sterling College in Vermont, where they have a program for Sustainable Agriculture.
When I get my farm, it will be a great place, and a quiet, pleasant place. There will be no competition, and no standardized testing. There will be a slow and relaxed way of life, with hard physical work.
While most people my age want their first automobile to be something fast, or sporty, I'd be perfectly content with a John Deere tractor.
I see these people in Southern California, and they pretend to be connected to the food that they are eating, but one can't be fully aware until they have participated in the raising of the animal, or the picking of the crop.
When someone buys a carton of milk at a grocery store, they have no idea what went into the milk. They don't know what the cows are like. That is deprivation, in my opinion.
I long for the day when I can be sustainable, and raise my own animals, and grow my own crops. I feel so detached from the whole process.
I am starting to think about college already.
At my school, the students who intend to get a good education often look at colleges because of prestige, or popularity, even if the college doesn't suit their interests. There is this idea in American culture that a degree from a first rate, well known university can help you earn money, even if you're not happy.
This is something I refuse to do. I refuse to go to a college based on brand value.
I am thinking about a small college called Sterling College in Vermont, where they have a program for Sustainable Agriculture.
When I get my farm, it will be a great place, and a quiet, pleasant place. There will be no competition, and no standardized testing. There will be a slow and relaxed way of life, with hard physical work.
While most people my age want their first automobile to be something fast, or sporty, I'd be perfectly content with a John Deere tractor.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Intro
I am the Future Farmer. I am currently at a huge high school in California, and I spent the last year at a boarding school with a farm in Vermont. I miss the animals. I miss the sounds, the smells and the sights. Most of all, I miss the people, who were so down to earth. Outside of agricultural communities, everyone is in such a rush to get ahead. It's all about taking the most advanced courses, and taking the most challenging tests, and not really about learning. I find this to be sad and upsetting.
I said to my mother a few weeks ago that if you were to take the kids who got into Yale, or scored 2400 on their SAT's, and bring them to a farm, that they wouldn't know how to manage livestock, or even how to harvest crops. Even though these students lack practical knowledge, they are considered successful and educated.
My definition of success is being happy, and living a good life. To most people, a good life is having a lucrative career, and a large house or apartment, and buying the best food. I feel that you can have a good life working very hard physically, and that your work has more meaning when the product of your work is your dinner, or your clothing.
I said to my mother a few weeks ago that if you were to take the kids who got into Yale, or scored 2400 on their SAT's, and bring them to a farm, that they wouldn't know how to manage livestock, or even how to harvest crops. Even though these students lack practical knowledge, they are considered successful and educated.
My definition of success is being happy, and living a good life. To most people, a good life is having a lucrative career, and a large house or apartment, and buying the best food. I feel that you can have a good life working very hard physically, and that your work has more meaning when the product of your work is your dinner, or your clothing.
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