Gradually I came to realize that the process of saving the desert of the human heart and revegetating the actual desert is actually the same thing.
Interpretation
The act of nurturing both the emotional and physical aspects of life is interconnected.
In this quote, Masanobu Fukuoka reflects on the profound connection between cultivating one's inner emotional landscape and improving the external environment. He suggests that just as one nurtures the physical desert into a thriving ecosystem, the same care and attention are necessary for healing and enriching the human heart, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between personal development and environmental stewardship.
In practice
In a speech about environmental conservation, you might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of emotional well-being in sustainability efforts.
When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
As we kill nature, we are killing ourselves, and God incarnate as the world as well.
The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
Modern research divides nature into tiny pieces and conducts tests that conform neither with natural law nor with practical experience. The results are arranged for the convenience of research, not according to the needs of the farmer.
Life on a small farm might seem primitive, but by living such a life we become able to discover the Great Path. I believe that one who deeply respects his neighborhood and everyday world in which he lives will be shown the greatest of all worlds.
The increasing desolation of nature, the exhaustion of resources, the uneasiness and disintegration of the human spirit, all have been brought about by humanity's trying to accomplish something.
The proper function of a government is to make it easy for the people to do good, and difficult for them to do evil.
Chess holds deep wisdoms of the people. It is truly an image of life, the reflection of human fate that has shown us the earthly way of suffering in darkness and permanent shortage of time. Like in chess, we encounter all kinds of traps, mistakes, settlements, sacrifices, kings, and queens, doubled pawns, and extraordinary moves while we are on the board ourselves.
Entropy is the normal state of consciousness - a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable.
It is a hard matter, my fellow citizens, to argue with the belly, since it has no ears.
One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection. But the basis of morality is really very simple and doesn't require religion at all.
If life was a dream, then dying must be the moment when you woke up. It was so simple it must be true. You died, the dream was over, you woke up. That's what people meant when they talked about going to heaven. It was like waking up.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.