Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Answer #169 - Digging into the loam

I'll be in Salina Kansas this weekend, at the Prairie Festival, sponsored by Wes Jackson's Land Institute.
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Humbled by the work they're doing.  Trying to save the world and all.

Perennial polycultural is the method of sustainable agriculture Jackson's developed, by studying the prairie for the past 30 years or so.
                
Life Magazine called him one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.
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In celebration of its 35th anniversary, Smithsonian counted him as one of 35 people who have made a difference. 

Humbled.

My job? To write him a song. And sing it to him.  So I've written it... will bring it to my friend Malcolm Dalglish, and we'll snap it together - maybe duet it - like Sonny & Cher, or probably more like Carole King and Neil Sedaka...Or the Bergmans... nah... knowing us, it'll be Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers... Go to fullsize image

Anyway...
Humbled.
We'll play for and honor both Wendell Berry Go to fullsize image and Scott Russell SandersGo to fullsize image as well.

Further humbled.  Because cleverness as achievement is hubris... while these men stand up, determine the direction of the wind, and offer shelter by way of solution.  No cleverness.  No bravado.  No hubris.
 
We walk in with our songs and stories, and we, all of us, leave - returning to our 'expanded tribe' with the hope of ideas of great minds to carry us forth into the uncertain future. 

"The binge is almost over," Jackson says.  "It's time to go home."

Humbled.

And immensely grateful for the existence of people like these.

2 comments:

  1. Humbled. They certainly picked an honorable person for the task. I hope you allow yourself full regard in your rightful place in singing their praises and I hope someone takes a video of it so we may witness this auspicious occasion! Congratulations, Krista...

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  2. We lead a pillaged life upon this blighted rock... Think life is easy? go ask the dinos.. Oh, that's right, you can't. But the world is fine, it's the people that need saving. Or at least entertained and brought to a point of introspection of what some of life means, and that you do in spades.... Don't cut yourself short m'dear, the band was of a great comfort to those who went down with the Titanic.

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