I was lucky enough to be invited to stay over at an organic farm, only to be the generous blood donor to those pesky mosquitoes. So here I am typing this article while the bite marks stare evilly back at me. Still, I’ve enjoyed the stay. It’s a breath of fresh air, literally, from the monochrome buildings that I’ve been working at every day.

I’ve read Michael Pollan’s book - the Omnivore’s Dilemma, where he writes a lot about the way our food is prepared and how difficult it is for us to get a decent wholesome meal that respects the environment and the animals that we eat. This is my chance to see an actual organic farm in action. But one night stay was only sufficient for me to sample the fruits from the farm.

I spoke to the couple who’s managing the farm, so I can only get a glimpse into their 10 years’ toil (and still going strong!) into this farm. I guess to sum up, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of observation, a lot of trials and errors, before something decent can come off the farm. Even selling the fruits from the farm proved to be testing. The shops will demand a low price, but sell them off at 600% mark up! (Beware organic food buyers!)

I think they should go direct, and make people go to their farm, instead of them going out of their way to market their fruits, but our conversation did not get that far (yet). Maybe I can propose something the next time I’m up, and I believe there will be a next time, with my insect repellent at hand of course.

Nevertheless, I have been trying to connect the dots of how we manage the environment, in the literal sense and in a broader sense as well. If you’ve been following my blog, I’ve been reading a biography on Maria Montessori, and she also mentioned about creating an environment suitable for the child’s learning. My current Tai Chi teacher is also trying to create such an environment so that we learn more wholesomely rather than just copying what the teacher does (see article on avoiding imitation).

So what’s the line connecting these dots?

I believe it’s “respect” - respecting the environment, respecting the people around us. The organic farmer will try his best to respect the soil he’s standing on, to respect the plant’s whims, to respect the uncertainty of the weather, to respect that brute force is not the best force for the plant to grow. The children’s teacher will need to learn to respect the child as having her own thoughts, respect that the child will know what’s best for himself. The Tai Chi teacher will need to respect that each student is unique, and that there’s a time for growth for that student, and the time may not be now when the student’s not ready.

All these doesn’t mean that we should allow free flow, and let the environment survive on its own. You might as well grow weeds. It also doesn’t mean the student should be left alone to do whatever she wants. The title of this article is managing the environment, so we have to place certain limitations for growth.

It sounds contrary to growth, but it’s only with limits that we are liberated to do what we can. See my recent example on how limits are liberating.