What We Can Learn from a Farmer

Wisdom of the Last Farmer by David Mas Masumoto is an enjoyable read ! I wished this was my book, not the library's, cos i wanted so much to use my highlighter, lol. Instead, whenever i come across a piece of wisdom, i, er, erm, fold the corner of the book (darn, i confessed), so that i can record it down later.

Masumoto is a American Japanese, a third generation farmer. He wrote several books on his experience of organic farming. He is a fiercely passionate farmer who knows every inch of his farm. In this book, the last farmer refers to his father. Masumoto was motivated to share his thoughts after his father had a stroke.

Farming is hard life and here are some of my favourite passages/wisdom nuggets:

On the price of perfection:

"At harvesttimes, I couldn't ignore rising expenses and lousy prices......We were farming the right way, but our noble intentions were leading us into impoverishment. We were rich in values, bankrupt in dollars"

On when things break:

"I still have a lot to learn from dad's way of shoveling, yet I still grow impatient at the uncontrollable weeds. I just want to fix the problem and move on to the other work we have to do. But weeds are always going to be part of our work...........I have to learn how to live with some of these weeds and to learn from them."

On resilience:

"Farmers are good at disasters. We've practiced dealing with a lot of them. A history of disasters helps our family cope with Dad's stroke."

"Even in this slower world, however, I struggle with the chaos of the healing process. I want a more linear progression and clearer expectation of what's to come. I want even more visible measurement of recovery. To push Dad to get to the next step.......He (Dad) seems to accept this chaos and nonlinear progression, inconsistencies of recovery, healing like a farmer...In life, as in recovery, not all things are level and smooth."

"A Japanese Parable:"Nana korobi, ya-oki." fall down seven times, get up eight."

On succession:

"When we recognise our mortality, our work carries new meaning. With a finite amount of time left, we see we have to act now, not later, Our lives are no longer about a personal definition of success but about creating significance."

Very early on, i realised why i enjoyed this book. Cos there is something i can identify with...seeing the world through stories.

"I also search for perfection in stories, in the full taste of a present moment, in the memories shared with family and friends. When I share these stories, harvested, like peaches, with people who enjoy them, they become timeless, priceless."

Emmm, something like why i blog..

Anyway, here are some links if you are interested:

Radio interview with Masumoto

Masumoto reading an excerpt from his book