franklin delano roosevelt

this man was a conservationist & civil rights activist. he is also considered one of the top American presidents alongside Lincoln & Washington.

Why he’s COOL:
He eloquently stated the following: “the nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” He created a group called the Civilian Conservation Corps that was to help manage unemployed young men, get them back into nature & working with their hands during a time of great economic strife. In essence he utilized basic manual labor that addressed several disciplines. “I propose to create a civilian conservation corps to be used in simple work, not interfering with normal employment, and confining itself to forestry, the prevention of soil erosion, flood control and similar projects. … this type of work is of definite, practical value, not only through the prevention of great present financial loss, but also as a means of creating future national wealth.” This program was the MOST POPULAR of the New Deal, but never became a permanent establishment within the federal government. Why would we get rid of a program the people supported?

Conserve & Preserve
Furthermore, he signed an act into law titled the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. This Act was incredibly beneficial to farmers and agriculture and was intended to manage and maintain proper use of soil. It also was intended to minimize the usage of soil-depleting crops.

A few really relevant ideas from his statement on the act appear as follows:
“They and we [the government] have not abandoned and will not abandon the principle of equality for agriculture.”
“Sound farming is of direct interest not only to farmers, but to consumers.”
“…the recurring dust storms and rivers yellow with silt are a warning that Nature’s resources will not indefinitely withstand exploitation or negligence. The only permanent protection which can be given consumers must come from conservation practiced by farmers.”
“The history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.”
“The wise use of land which it seeks to encourage involves sound farm practice and crop rotation as well as soil conservation.”

Seems to me he thinks true justice is connected to the soil. I am reminded of the story of Easter Island.

Four Freedoms:
FDR said in his Four Freedoms Speech (back in 1941):
“In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way–everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.”

What are these Philosophies? How do we transfer them into the community?

It seems his ideas resonate. We have many communities we are members of. Many of us talk about sustainability of the self. For example, there is the community of: your body, your home, your street, your city, your state, your country, your world.

Maybe we should ponder whether we mimic chimneys or trees in all of these communities. Electric wires & fences or rivers and birds? Do we move slow and flow with words, thoughts, actions, or grind and coerce without reflection?

Intelligent people have recognized the imperative part of living alongside the natural world. FDR is NOT alone. In fact people have been writing about this since the very first civilization.

Soil Provides Nutrients to Roots

We have roots too. Roots for people are: attitude, friendship, family…. Respecting roots is an important practice because roots are our beginnings. We ought to ponder history, but of course.

History books should teach us to be mindful with our thoughts, words, and deeds. History is written by the victors. So, who wins at living in the 21st century? It seems that if the people running the world write the history books then perhaps current methods may be failing… there’s a lot of destruction and a lack of innovation… Are we really utilizing all four freedoms that FDR talked about in our lives?

Memory & Forgetfulness

Roots/History/Attitude::: We have to remember the right things while we simultaneously learn from the wrong ones. Loren Eisley stated that the true dichotomy of living is memory & forgetfulness. do we remember to respect ourselves, others, and the earth? do we remember that seasons are perpetually changing? Do we remember car crashes, murders, tornadoes? Aldous Huxley said that the only consistent people are the dead. Therefore we should not begin to believe that we control anything besides our own steps.

watch the irrational sporadic & inconsistent nature of the weather…. …. . . . ! ((we don’t need the boss, the boss needs us. we don’t own the earth, the earth owns us))

We have to learn to appreciate and trust our own rhythm. the rest happens to us anyway & we control very little.

((do as i do not as i say))

((move speak act think like water go grow glow flow just don’t ruin what is below))