Living Close to Nature

While browsing through some TED talks , I stumbled on a talk by Jon Jandai of Thailand. It was a simple talk , delivered in a gentle voice . Life is Easy ! Why are we making it difficult ? That really got me. Why do we need to earn for 30 years to build or buy a house ? The main requirements are food and housing. He was the first in his village to take up organic farming. He build mud houses which are eco friendly and inexpensive . The skeptic would say, “come rains and it’ll all get washed away.” . After pursuing his convictions for 15 years , people from world over are noticing him.

Today he runs an establishment called Pun Pun , a centre for self reliance. It is a kind of gurukul where people from world over come to learn , share ideas on living close to nature.

Jon says, “why should we look at money as security ? Let us look at building resources for our security. These resources would be food , water, and fertile soil. On one hand we work so hard for money and on the other hand, the same hard work is fast depleting the natural resources that we need for our happiness and security. “

There are a number of videos on the net on organic farming, building of mud houses, making charcoal for energy and such traditional knowledge and skills for self-sustainance.

The idea is not new. Thiruvalluvar of 1^st century or Tolstoy or Mahatma Gandhi of last century were great proponents of living with nature.

I suppose the Renaissance period and the growth of Science in the West, prompted an idea that we can conquer nature, and now we are paying for it heavily. Can’t blame Science , but the idea that Science can conquer nature is definitely debatable.

This idea is best expressed in the words of Francis Bacon ;

“My only earthly wish is . . . to stretch the deplorably narrow limits of man’s dominion over the universe to their promised bounds.”

“………….putting [nature] on the rack and extracting her secrets,” and of “storming her strongholds and castles.”    “……………..I am come in very truth leading you to Nature with all her children to bind her to your service and make her your slave. The mechanical inventions of recent years do not merely exert a gentle guidance over Nature’s courses, they have the power to conquer and subdue her, to shake her to her foundations…………….”

Of course, there are some who believe that these words are wrongly attributed to Bacon. Be that as it may, such an idea exists that nature can be and should be conquered for man’s comfort.

Some people go to the extent of relating it to the idea of nature as a woman and Science as a kind of Inquisitor putting her on the racks to extract her secrets as witch hunting was done in the medieval period. Vandana Shiva of Navdania movement elaborates on the idea in her book Staying Alive.

Here are some videos on Jon Jandai and Pun Pun of Thailand

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