So here we are, alive and finding our way, on a planet where, for the most part, humans are wrestling and fighting with all life forms…other humans, plants, animals, ocean, the earth itself. And I am not advocating never cutting trees down, never using machinery to turn and move soil, never killing any creatures, etc etc…but rather I’m saying that the way we are in relation with the world around us is much like wrestling. I am advocating for a different more appreciative way that makes wrestling appear backwards and evolutionarily-regressive…and so: A Theory for Weeds as Catalysts for Social Change.
As with most things, weeds have names and when you put a name to a face it adds a layer or two of recognition and understanding that wasn’t there before. And like getting to know a new human in your life, learning the name is just the starting point…the possibility of discovering new things within the world of plants, and in this case “weeds”, is real and somewhat inevitable.
So if you learn of a new plant or two that is edible, highly nutritious and growing all over your garden or lawn, it might evoke a different response in you than the usual distaining frown…or consequent wrestle with it from its growing place. You might now consider carefully harvesting it to be a special ingredient for your dinner party or to dry for tea in the winter.
By association the seasons begin to take on significance in a new way…you may start to look forward to the appearance of Stinging Nettles in the Spring and Purslane in the height of Summer. What starts as a simple identification exercise can evolve into a new way of relating to what is happening right around you. The weeds offer this….for free virtually everywhere. Enough of the bullshit: you-gotta-buy-your-way-to-freedom and you-gotta-have-someone-save-you. The revolution of heart and mind, individually and collectively, is inside all of us like a seed and cannot be had for money. To extend the metaphor of the weeds a little further: The soil of our Selves needs a little turning, needs us to get in there and create some movement, so that what is lying dormant can grow and nourish us. And so: A Theory for Weeds as Catalysts for Social Change! Help yourself to superior nutrition right under your nose and watch for what happens.
High five to the Weeds !