Gardening as a Political Statement

When you think of a garden, what do you think of? I think of a place with fruits and vegetables and flowers. I think of a peaceful place where I can sit and relax and reflect. I think of a place where I can nurture and grow.

A garden does all these things but I’ve been realizing more and more lately that a garden is also a Political statement. Think about this for a minute. When a person has even a small salad and herb and flower garden, what is he or she saying?

First of all, this person is saying that he cares about what his family eats on a day to day basis. He is saying that he is taking control of what the family puts into its mouths. He is saying that he not expecting the government to hold his hand. He is taking responsibility for his own.

If he is growing organically, he is saying that he cares about not only what goes into his family’s mouth but also the environment as well. He knows he can’t do everything but he knows he can do something to help the environment.

He knows that his yard wastes are being recycled right there on his property. He knows that fossil fuel energy won’t have to be spent taking his yard wastes to the city landfill because he manages it locally and it does no harm to the environment but rather it improves it. He knows that by not having his yard wastes hauled to the landfill, he is saving the local taxpayers money and helps the local government, in a small way, balance their budget.

He also knows that by growing his own food, he can spend the money he saves locally, keeping his money local to serve those in his community.

By decreasing the use of fossil fuels, the United States uses less foreign oil and the prices drop. With prices dropped, the finances used to finance terrorism isn’t there so terrorists don’t have the money to buy guns and ammunition.

He know that what he is doing appears to be a small thing but he knows that if he can teach others to do the same thing, there can be significant changes made not only in his community today but can influence future generations as well.

So next time you’re sitting by your garden and enjoying that peaceful feeling, remember, gardening is a political statement that you not only enjoying peace for yourself but also sharing it with the rest of the world.