To
me Permaculture is all about respect, from bottom to top and back
down again. Respect for the Earth, respect for those who come after
you, respect to those sharing the space with you. And this respect
envelops everything, there are no boundaries to it. Permaculture
acknowledges that everything is interconnected and your actions can
have a far larger effect than we can see, for good or ill. It's a
respect based on knowledge and patience. To quote the founder of
Permaculture Bill Mollison, “Rather protracted, thoughtful
observation than protracted, thoughtless labour”
If
respect can be seen as one pillar of Permaculture, then Observation
is another. Observation is vital
in Permaculture. No, to be accurate, without the power of
observation, Permaculture would not exist. (There is an interesting
story there that may make up part of another article) Knowledge is
gained through clear observation of the place that you are looking
at. By that I mean, noticing what's in front of you, really seeing
what you're looking at. Watching how the water pools or runs, telling
from the trees which way the winds blow, noticing how shadows from
houses prevent certain plants from growing in certain places, these
small facts can add up to a great database of knowledge that can be
gleaned from any and every spot in the world simply by looking at it
properly. Well, what's the point of looking at the world that way?
For one, an extra bit of observation and thought can save you a great
deal of grief and even money.
For example; Behind your house, there's a big tree and
while it's alright looking, you really want to know what the view
behind it looks like. Well, you finally manage to get back behind it
and yeah, the view's pretty good, maybe that's what you prefer to
see. But while back there you spot something. The tree on this side
looks a lot more withered than the side facing your house. Well, what
difference does that make? That withering is the sign of the harsh
winter wind causing damage to the tree. So the tree is in fact
sheltering your house from the coldest and most damaging winds and in
so doing, saving you a lot of money in home heating. That's a pretty
important fact to have as part of an informed decision.
Respect and Observation are all very well to say but
it's like toothbrush and toothpaste. They're great additions to your
bathroom, but if they just sit in the glass by the sink your teeth
aren't going to get any better. If you don't notice what's in front
of you, or don't treat your surroundings with respect, you're not
going to see what's important.
So here's an exercise for you. On your normal days
excursion, try to look at your surroundings with fresh eyes. Don't
judge what you see, just observe the different elements and try to
determine why it is the way it is. Spot where water running off roofs
damages the ground below, or where it gathers on the edge of a road
and supplies a mini-wetland. See where the grass has been cut too
short, or where the birds love most to perch, or how a bush gives
enough shelter at the right angle for a grove of wildflowers.
Exercising your own skill at observation will make the world a lot
more interesting because you will see the details that make up the
whole picture. After a while, you'll even see how they interconnect
and impact on each other.
However, to be fair I think I should warn you; once you
open your eyes and start really looking at the world, it's really
hard to close them again.
Afton
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