It’s no secret anymore that most of what we eat today is full of all kinds of poison. Industrial agricultural which uses chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, boosters, artificial hormones, GM seeds etc have made our food poisonous. There are ample researches supporting this. While buying natural food or organic produce is an option, it is not easy and reliable. Getting on to producing your food is your only escape, else be prepared for all sorts of 21st century ailments.
2.) Dominant chemical farming
Chemical Farming or Modern farming that extensively uses chemicals and machines has taken over entire world. Natural ways or simpler ways of farming are considered primitive and non-glamorous. While modern farming is able to get better produce, it is a very short sighted approach. It makes land quite non-fertile and damages the ecosystem heavily. It does produce good looking produce but quite often they are heavily degraded nutritionally. So, if you care for planet and for yourself and for humanity – taking up alternative modes of farmings and providing a workable model is one of the best thing you can do.
3.) Lack of Sinless Jobs
As one grow morally and started valuing ethics in life,you’d hunt for a job that does not involve corruption or exploitation of any sort and has no net negative impact of society or nature. Frankly you’ll not be able to find such a job easily. You can only fool yourself for sometime by looking only at your side of story. Natural Farming is one of the very few occupations left in modern world that can be considered ethical.
4.) Living close to Nature
We all know the difference that living close to nature can bring. The quality of life, of your days, of your mind will be totally different when live close to nature. As much it is difficult in cities to live a healthy, happy life so much is easier if one lives somewhere close to nature. Thus moving to village will be a very obvious decision and taking to farming will come as a by product.
5.) Farming as meditation and worship
Many ancient scriptures like The Vedas have considered farming as worship of five elements that make up the universe. Farming use to be the occupation of sages. Many great saints have spent their lives understanding plants and farming. Many are believed to reach the ultimate truth through this worship of five elements in form of farming. So if you are on a spiritual journey, becoming a farmer is one of the greatest service you can do to yourself and your journey. It is no coincidence that most of the Zen masters were farmers.
6.) Ample Leisure Time
A farmer (especially one practicing natural “do nothing” farming) has leisure time much more than even the richest person on this planet. All he has to do is put seeds and take care once in a while. He works as per his wish and nature’s requirements. Because in farming, nature does most of the hard work – the farmer is bestowed with lot of leisure time which she/he can use as she/he pleases.
7.) The only Real work
We all eat food everyday. We cannot survive without food. A farmer produces food for the world. Producing food is the real work. Can we live without gadgets, rockets and TV ? Yes. Without cars, mobiles and shopping malls ? Yes. So, the real work is farming. Rest everything is frankly quite redundant activities. One may argue the importance of a doctor, an astronomer, a teacher or a politician. But they all survive on food and farmer produces it. Farmer is not dependent on anyone else except nature ,while we all depend on farmer.
8.) Working with real stuff
One more dissatisfaction a sane modern man will always have in most of jobs is that he is always working with unreal things. Software coding, a media campaign, designing an electronics chip – though appear real but are quite unreal when we put them in canvass of universe. Entire day, you are sitting in front of computer doing something (it could be stocks, designing, painting, reading, writing, making movie etc..) and you call it work. Now compare it with working with something real such as people or nature. A farmer works with real stuff….air, water, life, plants, insects, people and ultimate forces of universe.
9.) Life of Independence
Who is really independent ? or lets say who can be ? Can a job holder in a city really be independent ? Perhaps not ! But if a farmer wants, he can be totally independent of most of the systems in our world. He works with nature and that’s it. All his basic needs (clothing, shelter, food) are taken care by himself. Ofcourse if a farmer increases his needs , he also becomes dependent on system and other people but if we assume that he keeps his needs in check – a farmer is the person in best position to gain total independence and self sufficiency.
10.) Lifestyle to support inner journey
While one can grow spiritually and take up inner journey anywhere and in any situation, there are few lifestyles more favorable and supportive than others. For e.g. as a cop or politician one might find difficult to take out time for peaceful silent sittings while a writer, singer might have more opportunities for the same. If one is to follow the precepts of most of the religion, living in cities, in our current lifestyles make it very difficult. Simple things like staying calm, not lying, being what you are have become quite difficult in modern civilization. A farmer’s lifestyle (Natural farming) is very supportive of inner journey.
11.) Joy of working with Nature
You sow a seed and then in few days you see it sprout, it grows it front of you slowly from few tender leaves to a plant and soon it gives us a flower, fruit or vegetable. Just the joy of seeing it all is priceless. It’s almost like having your own child and see her grow everyday. When a new flower blossoms or a new spider weaves her web, a bird visits your farm or a grasshopper crosses you- it all brings joy of some other world to your everyday life.
12.) The foundation of Good life – Right sleep, Right Food and Right Labor
Our sages have proposed three pillars as foundation of a good life, especially for a seeker. Right sleep, right food and right labor. Farming gives you all three.
13.) Being the change you want to see
A lot is being talked about moving to villages, about increasing burden on cities, about increasing energy crisis. By becoming a farmer you immediately reduce your burden on system and on nature. You start becoming the change you want to see in the world.
15.) Non-cooperation with Mainstream
We all are cribbing about mainstream system.We have become critics but haven’t been able to do bring positive change. So, what do you do ? Instead of working against the system, you can chose to work without the system. Farming, over time will make one self sustainable thus you are no longer directly part of the mainstream system. If many of us do it, it’ll weaken the system in multiple way and put a break on it’s momentum.
17.) The Ego Trip in Redefinition of self
Frankly, it has become quite glamorous to turn to farming these days. So, you can always enjoy the ego trip of redefining yourself from an engineer, or a teacher or a manager or whatever to farmer ! Just make sure you don’t allow to take over your sanity.
18.) Message from the universe
If you are reading this blog that means you’ve already been thinking about taking up farming. Do give the message from universe or your gut feeling a chance – it might just turn out to be the only thing you ever wanted. Do remember nothing is a cake walk or a rosy road – but taking up natural farming is one of the best steps any seeker can take.
The Madman's Farm 