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.
Interpretation
Modern research often oversimplifies nature to fit experimental needs, neglecting practical applications.
This quote by Masanobu Fukuoka critiques the way contemporary scientific research often compartmentalizes nature, breaking it down into smaller segments for study. He argues that this approach tends to disregard the interconnectedness of natural systems and the practical realities faced by farmers, thereby generating results that cater more to academic interests than to the actual needs of agricultural practices and sustainability in the real world.
In practice
In a discussion about sustainable farming practices, this quote can highlight the need for research that aligns with real-world applications.
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.
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.
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.
Come to the sunset tree! The day is past and gone; The woodman's axe lies free, And the reaper's work is done.
The unwaking world was as hushed as a deep forest.
Late in August the lure of the mountains becomes irresistible. Seared by the everlasting sunfire, I want to see running water again, embrace a pine tree, cut my initials in the bark of an aspen, get bit by a mosquito, see a mountain bluebird, find a big blue columbine, get lost in the firs, hike above timberline, sunbathe on snow and eat some ice, climb the rocks and stand in the wind at the top of the world on the peak of Tukuhnikivats.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
We need to respect the oceans and take care of them as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.
There is life in a stone. Any stone that sits in a field or lies on a beach takes on the memory of that place. You can feel that stones have witnessed so many things.
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