In Heschel’s Words:
As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind. Mankind will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living. What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder.
Radical amazement has a wider scope than any other act of man. While any act of perception or cognition has as its object a selected segment of reality, radical amazement refers to all of reality; not only to what we see, but also to the very act of seeing as well as to our own selves, to the selves that see and are amazed at their ability to see.
When I started to grow my own food, I did so to grow local and organic, to get my hands a little dirty with my kids, and for the thrill of harvesting from my garden. I had NO idea that growing our own food would lead to “radical amazement” or “WOW” in so many ways – affecting the way I work, the way I parent, the way I live…and affecting others too – my family, my friends, my clients, my employees, my neighbours, and rippling beyond.
I knew I was on to something really special when I started to benefit in ways that were completely unrelated to my original goal of growing food for and with my family.
Wonder.
Gratitude.
Mindfulness.
Appreciating our food.
Honouring our land.
Nourishing others.
Understanding fairness (by honouring farmers their labour-intensive work when buying food).
Making better choices for all.
Repairing our world.
Knowledge is power, but it also creates responsibility. I’m so grateful to have found knowledge, meaning and roots in my front yard – and that activity and awareness ultimately lead me to discovering Shoresh (the organization, the work, and the people) and getting involved.
By being involved with food from seed to table, I’m quite certain we can find the radical wonder and amazement we need to lead us to wherever we need to be.
If you’re interested in learning more visit shoresh.ca
If you’re interested in sponsoring the upcoming Taking Root fundraiser, view the sponsorship package here.
Image by BaxiaArt
