Georgic Foundation Power Point

Welcome to MiniAg Class 1 The Georgic Foundation : Welcome to MiniAg Class 1 The Georgic Foundation The Georgic tradition: the foundation of modern civilization

Georgic Foundation : Georgic Foundation The problem with this country is not that our kids are spoiled, the inflation rate is high, or our politicians are crooked – all that is nothing new. The real problem is that our barns are falling down. Lee Pitts

Georgics : Georgics Roman poet Virgil Georgic means to work the earth (farming) A way of life, tying families to the land that preserves their culture (A culture of liberty) Photo Source: Everyday Life in Roman Times, by Mike Corbishley, p. 21.

Georgics is the relationship between man and the products he creates from the earth’s natural resources. Creating a culture of Agronomy or Agriculture.Agricultural products divided into 4 catagories : Georgics is the relationship between man and the products he creates from the earth’s natural resources. Creating a culture of Agronomy or Agriculture.Agricultural products divided into 4 catagories

Slide 5 : The foundation of civilization is agriculture “Let us never forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. Man may be civilized in some degree without great progress in manufactures and with little commerce with his distant neighbors. But without the cultivation of the earth, he is, in all countries, a savage. Until he gives up the chase and fixes himself in some place, and seeks a living from the earth, he is a roaming barbarian. When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.” Daniel Webster

Georgics through history : Georgics through history Hesiod 700 BC Virgil 70 BC Crevecouer 1770’s Wendell Berry Victor Davis Hanson Ancient Greece Ancient Rome American founding era Modern times Ancient bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now conjectured to be an imaginative portrait of Hesiod[1]

Slide 7 : “History does not tell us just when men passed from hunting to agriculture … We may reasonably assume that the new regime demanded new virtues …” Will Durant

The Georgic and Pastoral traditions : The Georgic and Pastoral traditions Two opposing views of the natural world

The pastoral tradition : The pastoral tradition Nature is: a pleasant landscape of peace Natural beauty Harmony with humans Perfect place for art The right place for love The setting for leisure

The georgic tradition : The georgic tradition Nature is: Destructive Harsh Unforgiving A force attacking humanity Work Work Work will overcome these obsticles

Balance between the georgic and pastoral traditions : Balance between the georgic and pastoral traditions All the work in the world doesn't mean anything if you can’t appreciate the beauty it provides. It’s not enough to just look at the beauty and not do your part in creating something of value.

Slide 12 : “…the georgic ideal spoke more directly and concretely to the experience of the [American] founders than it can to us moderns who have little or nothing to do with the production of food”. Gary L. Gregg II

Common principles/virtues shared by Georgic cultures : Common principles/virtues shared by Georgic cultures Providence Self validation Soul purpose Land ownership Community Stewardship Local interdependence Entrepreneurialism Doing Good Self confidence Personal mission Production land Participation and caring Trading for local products Specializing in the needs of your community and beyond.

The foundation of a free society isGeorgics : The foundation of a free society isGeorgics Foundation Footing

Entrepreneurialism : Entrepreneurialism Footing Foundation

Slide 16 : If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau

You need a strong enough foundation to withstand the growth : You need a strong enough foundation to withstand the growth Will your personal foundation crack with the pressure of your growing entrepreneurialism

Do we have the right education for our missions and business ventures to thrive without crumbling our foundation ? : Do we have the right education for our missions and business ventures to thrive without crumbling our foundation ?

Slide 19 : “It is possible for teenagers today to graduate from college without ever having dug a ditch, mowed a lawn, thrown a paper route, picked fruit, or worked in a car wash. How can people like that call themselves educated”? Lee Pitts

Slide 20 : There is a disconnect today between people and the natural resources that provide them with the necessities of life.

Slide 21 : “…the [ancient] Greeks believed that the land produced not simply food, but also the free and good citizen”. Victor Hanson

Applying Georgic principles in your Life : Applying Georgic principles in your Life What to do to become Georgic How to develop georgic virtue in our lives A close look at each foundational principle

ProvidenceFooting principle # 1 : ProvidenceFooting principle # 1 Develop a relationship with your higher power however you personally interpret God Inner voice The universe Our Conscience Physical Being Higher power People of all beliefs can be Georgic. 2. Seek answers from Providence Study your spiritual cannon…Bible, Torah, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Shakespeare, etc… Think!!! Meditation, ponder, personal spiritual interpretation of what you have learned. Prayer. Ask God what is right and what you need to do. Do what providence directs.

Slide 24 : “Providence has its appointed hour for everything. We cannot command results, we can only strive” Gandhi

Self validation Footing principle # 2 : Self validation Footing principle # 2 Do the right things Do the hard jobs Respect yourself Respect others Don’t back down Allow others to do hard jobs You know what you know Rely on what others know

Slide 26 : “Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control; these three alone lead one to sovereign power. Lord Alfred Tenneyson “Industry, thrift and self control are not sought because they create wealth , but because they create character” Calvin Coolidge

Soul purpose Footing principle # 3 : Soul purpose Footing principle # 3 Find your Life work or Mission Put your whole heart into it Recognize that Missions don’t have an end they just shift gears Believe that you have a unique purpose Never give up as you encounter road blocks Add value to whatever you are working for

Slide 28 : “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history”. Gandhi

Land ownershipFoundation principle # 1 : Land ownershipFoundation principle # 1 Own your home Own production land that can produce food, water, shelter, fuel, clothing, recreation, etc. Become a wise steward Get out of debt Using your land to produce it’s full potential Multiply your resources

Slide 30 : “Our new American is responsible for little property, other than his mortgaged house and car… he depends on someone else for everything from his food to his safety”. Victor Davis Hanson

Community Stewardship Foundation principle # 2 : Community Stewardship Foundation principle # 2 Know your neighbors Be involved Stand up for your beliefs Get along with everyone! Be aware, socially, physically, emotionally, spiritually. School, church, city, government, youth, service. Don’t be Ebenezer Scrooge Keep your community moral

Local interdependence Foundation principle # 3 : Local interdependence Foundation principle # 3 Find something you can produce Buy locally what you can’t produce yourself Commit to seasonal eating Support your local grocery store Produce it in abundance and quality. Commit to this principle instead of defaulting to the grocery store Keeps the local quality high by employing a professional farmer. Purchase the things you cannot locally produce

Slide 33 : “To old to plant trees for my own gratification, I shall do it for my posterity”. Thomas Jefferson

Entrepreneurialism Foundation principle # 4 : Entrepreneurialism Foundation principle # 4 Build a strong life footing Build a strong life foundation on that footing Seek to add value to the world Providence Self validation Soul purpose Land ownership Community Stewardship Local interdependence Focus on the good you can create in the world and the money will follow.

2 groups of people : 2 groups of people 1. Those who focus on food production as a business 2. Those who focus on something else but still eat food

1. Those who focus on food production as a business : 1. Those who focus on food production as a business Called farmers & gardeners… Producers Opportunity to focus in products of nutrition Opportunity to make $$$ with direct sales Now is the time to become a farmer More potential for success today than ever before Combining technology & grandpa’s wisdom

2. Those who focus on something else but still eat food : 2. Those who focus on something else but still eat food Food consumers = everyone everywhere Participating in your food production You know your farmer You know your food You know the methods You know your options You have a say in your health This gives you freedom to choose instead of defaulting to the grocery store.

Slide 38 : “To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves” Gandhi

Result of living the 7 principles : Result of living the 7 principles Develops “the good citizen” Adds value to the world

Result of living the 7 principles : Result of living the 7 principles What is a good citizen? Morality = do it because it is right Brave = do what’s right even when we are vulnerable Kindness = respect all life

Slide 41 : “Corruption of morals in the mass of cultivators is a phenomenon of which no age nor nation has furnished an example.” Thomas Jefferson A society of agrarians is a moral society We need to engage with the natural world

How do I engage with the natural world? : How do I engage with the natural world? 6 things georgic civilizations have done: Grain Livestock Intensive gardening 365 day harvest Soil management Integrated pest and disease management (The 6 Ideals of MiniAg)

Result of living the 7 principles : Result of living the 7 principles How does it add value to the world? Each individual person in society reaches their full potential Edison Jefferson Gandhi Wright brothers Churchill Martin Luther King Jr. Abraham Lincoln Henry Ford Eli Whitney

Slide 44 : “The problem with this country is not that our kids are spoiled, the inflation rate is high, or our politicians are crooked – all that is nothing new. The real problem is that our barns are falling down.” Lee Pitts

Slide 45 : The barns of the American landscape were built to preserve the harvests that built our civilization. Now they crumble and disappear from our fields… what is the fate of our society?

Books to study about this subject : Books to study about this subject The Story of Civilization by Will And Ariel Durant Vital Remnants by Gary L. Gregg II The Other Greeks by Victor Davis Hanson The Land Was Everything by Victor Davis Hanson Fields Without Dreams by Victor Davis Hanson Letters from an American Farmer by J . Hector St. John de Crevecoeur The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry People Who Live At The End Of Dirt Roads by Lee Pitts On War by Carl Von Clausewitz