Self-Organization...More...

[Harrison Owen]

At 11:56 AM 11/16/01 -0800, you wrote:
>I agree with the need for a different metaphor, but I don't that gardening
>is it.  The point about water and fertilizer kind of underscores my point:
>gardens (in the commonly accepted sense) do not self-organize.  Not at
>all.  They require a tremendous amount of planning, cultivation and
>work.  You must beat back weeds and nurture the things that you DO want to
>grow.  You must water if your chosen plants are not native to your
>area.  You must mulch if they fear cold.
>
>In short, gardening is, in my mind, the very antithesis of the new
>metaphor.  It requires a large amount of energy from outside the system to
>be put into the system.

Ah Chris -- you have fallen into my trap, made my point -- and my day. The
gardening you are talking about is that practiced by an auto-mechanic.
Everything according to the plan. Bolt on a new plant and forget its
natural habitat. After all that is what it says in "Home and Gardens" --
and every homeowner MUST follow the rules. And for sure take some exotic
creature that can't stand cold and plant it in the Arctic. After all it is
a part of the plan. Wheeeeew -- hard work for sure. But is that the only
way??? You could see what grew naturally -- all by itself. And then help it
along. That is really what I am talking about. Look before you leap. Don't
fix it if it ain't broke -- and I am sure some other trite phrases would
cover the issue.

ho


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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