The Great Economy

This morning's read was a fascinating essay called "Two Economies" by Wendell Berry about "The Great Economy".

"The difference between the Great Economy and any human economy is pretty much the difference between the goose that laid the golden egg and the golden egg. For the goose to have value as a layer of golden eggs, she must be a live goose and therefore joined to the life cycle, which means that she is joined to all manner of things , patterns and processes that sooner or later surpass human comprehension. The golden egg, on the other hand, can be fully valued by humans according to kind, weight, and measure, but it will not hatch and it cannot be eaten... if we wish to value the egg in such a way as to preserve the goose that laid it, we find that we must behave, not scientifically, but humanely.... " Berry concludes this thought with the notion that while humans can "add value" they cannot "make value" that is, we can turn trees into boards and furniture. In a good human economy these transformations would be made by "good work", properly valued and rewarded. But a good human economy would recognize at the same time that it was dealing with materials and powers that it did not make. In this context money value, he asserts, is only true when it justly and stably represents goods such as clothing, food and shelter emanating from the Great Economy. Humans originate money in the abstract only by inflation and usury.

I was not able to find a link directly to it, but here is a link to an article in Orion Magazine called "The Idea of a Local Economy "http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/299/

Meanwhile back at the farm, Paul is finishing the last batch of broiler chickens today. And the weather is still mild enough to do this outdoors. Chelsea and Ann begged Paul to let them help - I kid you not! Chelsea is in her 20's and coordinates a after school program. Ann is 15  and in the Creative Writing program at Interlochen. Ann wrote a poem about our goats and read it at a student performance! 

And that's why it's called AgriCULTURE, folks.