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“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
Hippocrates

This Farmers Thoughts And Reflection After Another Week

G'Day Folks,

It's easy to forget why we are all involved in this. Some of us try to convince ourselves it's about saving the planet, some of us force ourselves to believe that without organic farming, our human and planetary health will continue to be destroyed. We create narratives around community and connection, the importance of holding onto a way of life that seems to be slipping away. What do you tell yourself when you spend the extra money to buy our vegetables? How would you explain it to someone who couldn't possibly understand why on earth you would pay more for your food, when you can get it somewhere else cheaper? Do you know anyone like that? Is he sitting next to you as you read this? Hahaha, I'm poking fun, I know only too well, because I was that husband who questioned my wife when we were paying more money for something I didn't believe in or understand.

Is it really just about the absence of chemicals? Is it really just about your health? Is it solely for the taste and freshness? Or are you just believing that you're doing your bit to save the planet? There's nothing wrong with any of these beliefs by the way, you can believe in just one of them or all of them, and many more that take your fancy.

 

But I find a problem convincing myself that it must be one of these beliefs or all of them combined that gives value and meaning to what myself and my family are doing. Afterall, what meaning would I have left if all the things it relied upon were suddenly realised? Would I just shift my focus to more of the perceived problems in the world, what if these too were suddenly realised? Does this mean our goal of Utopia leaves us in a world without meaning? Think of all the people who dedicate their lives in the relentless pursuit of fixing the world's problems. What would these people do if their dreams were to come true overnight and Eckhart Tolle’s “New Earth” was suddenly realised?

By now you might start to question why I am overanalysing the meaning of what we are doing this for, and you would be right to think that. This weekend's weather events brought back vivid memories of the March 2021 floods which wiped out our farm. Friday night I laid in bed listening to the roar of rain crashing into our corrugated iron roof, and the gurgling and bubbling sounds created by the water overflowing our gutters. My mind was restless, I wondered what would motivate me to keep going should we have to start again like we did the last time it flooded. How many setbacks could my family endure, what was it that would keep us going?

The problem with trying to convince yourself or anyone else for that matter, that it's because of something external, is that we humans are very clever at coming up with excuses. Just take a look at the infinite stream of content you can find on social media. There you will find an endless sea of tribes that will give you the answers you are looking for. Anytime your conscience makes you question your choices, anytime it makes you feel uncomfortable, if you reach into your pocket, you will find a chorus of voices who tell you why you're doing the right thing and that you don't need to change. This is the great danger of social media, it provides convincing arguments for our dogmatic and prejudiced beliefs. It preys on our insecurities and fears, it has the potential to turn our nightmares into realities. But like a sword, it cuts both ways and can turn our dreams into realities also. Shared human beliefs are far more potent and powerful than any nuclear bomb or charismatic despot.
 
If you look at some of our older content you will find I have taken part in this tribal conflict, my fears and insecurities found comfort and peace within small scale organic agriculture, and anyone unsupportive of this were either foolish or ignorant. I did my best to provide the facts and evidence as well as the narrative around why my beliefs and values were right. Those that agreed liked and followed, it comforted them the same way it comforted me. While those who were made uncomfortable found someone else who provided the facts, evidence and narrative that gave their mind peace and comfort. Some of us are so insecure in our beliefs that anyone on the other side becomes the enemy, we might say they are asleep, we might view them as selfish, morally bankrupt or just plain evil. Each tribe views the other tribe the same way, the only winners (if you can call them that) are the leaders who fan the flames, leaders who are so desperate to be acknowledged and loved they will champion any belief so long as it gains them attention.

Wherever you find your mind and hearts peace and happiness is up to you, we are all on our own journeys and peace and happiness can be found at a multitude of different stations along the way. But if it ever begins to waiver like mine has in the past, if you ever feel the need to defend your beliefs against the beliefs of others, if you ever catch yourself thinking poorly of someone who doesn't hold your views, if you are ever trying desperately to change the minds of those around you before it's too late! I'm telling you for your own sake just stop, because you're not trying to convince the world, you're trying to convince yourself. You're not trying to spread peace and happiness, you're desperately trying to cling onto it because you feel it slipping between your fingers after having fooled yourself you had a strong grasp.

What will motivate us after the next flood or bushfire (which is inevitable) is love, it is what will motivate my family and I know deep down it's what motivates you. What I used to think was slightly strange now seems obvious. I would regularly think to myself and hear other people comment “everyone we deliver the veggies too and everyone who is attracted to this world of organic are all so joyful and full of love”. As I sat on our deck with Emily having a cuppa at the end of last week, we were discussing all of the wonderful interactions between ourselves and the people who eat our food, just as that conversation was happening, one of our customers were driving past after collecting their veg box, they pulled over wished us all the best for the new year and said “I just want you to know that my life is so much better because you're in it”. That brings tears to my eyes now as I write this, the same tears I had to hold back in the moment when those words reached my ears and trickled down to my heart.
 
We will never use chemicals to grow your food, we will always care for and respect the land your food is grown on, we will always provide you with the freshest and tastiest food we can and we will always try to make it as affordable as possible. But we hope that all of these reasons are not the only reasons you smile when you open your box of fruit and vegetables, we want you to smile also because it is love that is leading your life. When you look at those fruits and vegetables, you will know that the farmers who grew them put love first, each one has been on its own journey, passing through multiple human hands from a seed into what you see today and its journey was a love story, what you hold in your hands is a reflection of what you value most. When we can find peace and happiness in the seemingly trivial moments like these, when we can hold something so humble in our hands with such love and gratitude, we need not look anywhere else for it, you no longer have to travel to find it, you don’t have to pretend your saving the world or just yourself, you can stop searching, even if for just this moment and realise it is in your hands, it's all around you and it always has been.
Thank YOU for joining us on this epic journey & supporting Your local farmer!

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