FARM-work™

The development of agriculture allowed humans to move from simply reacting to nature (by hunting and gathering) to proactively planning, designing and creating their nourishment. And upon this surplus, they built entire civilizations.

WHAT: The work of the farm has four stages, or seasons:

1. Clear the land of obstacles like stones, stumps, and brush and prepare it by plowing/harrowing
2. Sow the seeds appropriate (what does or could grow) given desired harvest, conditions of the land, market for crops etc.
3. Care includes not only reacting to threats (e.g. weeding) but also preparing ahead of time (e.g. erecting scarecrows before the birds arrive, installing drainage/irrigation in case of too much/too little rain)
4. Harvest what was sown, enjoying part, selling another part, sharing some with others, and putting aside some seed for the following year. It also means harvesting lessons: identifying which fields, seeds and care brought how much harvest and adjust the next growing cycle accordingly.

So, could we do the same with our individual lives? Instead of hunting jobs, gathering credential, collecting degrees, and chasing random activities, we would construct an engaging, purposeful career.

We can. And the work of our life has four akin principles:

Creating spaces to act is

Freedom.

Sowing and growing our own seeds is Authenticity.

Responding and developing our responsive ability is Responsibility.

Our personal harvest, the worth of our actions is Meaning.

So, FARM is not only an allegory/analogy but also a memorable acronym and an existential algorithm.

A warning: those who (successfully) hunt and gather today, eat today. Those who farm—or FARM—eat many months from now. If you’re expecting a quick fix, look elsewhere.

WHERE: FREEDOM

Such space—or dominion—can be geographic, like a kingdom; emotional, like boredom; or intellectual, as is wisdom.