The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
Interpretation
Farming is about nurturing people, not just producing food.
In this quote, Masanobu Fukuoka emphasizes the idea that the true purpose of agriculture transcends the mere act of growing crops; it focuses on the development and enrichment of individuals' lives. He believes that farming should foster a connection between people and nature, enhancing human potential and community well-being, ultimately contributing to a more profound societal transformation.
In practice
In a speech about sustainable agriculture, the speaker quoted Fukuoka to highlight the importance of nurturing community alongside food production.
When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
As we kill nature, we are killing ourselves, and God incarnate as the world as well.
Modern research divides nature into tiny pieces and conducts tests that conform neither with natural law nor with practical experience. The results are arranged for the convenience of research, not according to the needs of the farmer.
Gradually I came to realize that the process of saving the desert of the human heart and revegetating the actual desert is actually the same thing.
Life on a small farm might seem primitive, but by living such a life we become able to discover the Great Path. I believe that one who deeply respects his neighborhood and everyday world in which he lives will be shown the greatest of all worlds.
The increasing desolation of nature, the exhaustion of resources, the uneasiness and disintegration of the human spirit, all have been brought about by humanity's trying to accomplish something.
There is no sadder sight in the world than to see a beautiful theory killed by a brutal fact.
It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works.
Commandments and covenants of God are like navigational instructions from celestial heights and will lead us safely to our eternal destination. It is one of beauty and glory beyond understanding. It is worth the effort. It is worth making decisive corrections now and then staying on course.
Sell a country?! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children?
Occasionally the conflict between 'what we stand for' and 'what we do' has been forthrightly addressed.
I am oppressed with a dread of living forever. That is the only disadvantage of vegetarianism.
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