We probably have much more freedom, and therefore many more fields ((Thanks to the Stoics for the analogy of “fertile fields”. See Diogenes Laërtius‘s The Lives of the Philosophers)) than we may first realize. Since this much “Freedom succumbs to dizziness”, as Kierkegard ((The Concept of Anxiety, 1844)) put it, it may help to categorize various types.
Along the four cardinal directions (N,S,E&W), we can categorize lay the four Hs:((This is inspired by The 4H, an agricultural-focused youth organization–and their pledge))
Head (mental & intellectual, like fields of knowledge, cognitive skills, focal abilities AKA “headspace”)
Health (physiological spaces, like our relative freedom from injury, disease, and addiction)
Heart (emotional and social, like our ability to empathize and our relationships)
Hand (the most tangible, like time and financial spaces)
The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outwards from there. Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. -Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
These four points run along two axes:
the x-axis (left-right) is the integration axis: Health is about wholeness: concern for the various aspects of ourselves and unifying them. Heart is about oneness: concern for other(s) and aligning ourselves with them.
the y-axis (up-down) is the development axis: Head is about thinking: the scope and depth of our intellect, while Hand is about doing: our capacity for action.
“We must cultivate our own garden.” – Voltaire, in his Candide conclusion.
Effective action begins with working within our own fields: where we have control or at least significant influence.
Care about vs. Care for
One heuristic, that will be more fully developed in Responsibility (the flip side of Freedom) is distinguish between what you simply care about and what you can personally care for. The former are not your fields. Choosing them leads to complaining, wishful thinking as action depends upon the actions of others and/or circumstances outside your control.
CHOOSING FIELDS: As we look at and define more closely the various spaces we have, we’ll see many, much more freedom than we previously thought. This can overwhelm, even lead to anxiety.
We may not, especially if new to FARMing, be able to effectively sow, care, and harvest many fields—at least in one growing season. So, it best to focus on a few.
Since we learn by doing, as an exercise, you may choose to label and define in several words: