Years ago when I was deciding what to study in college, one of the dominant thoughts was this: I want to make enough money that I never have to do my own yard work. I settled on mechanical engineering. And soon, instead of making money mowing lawns and pulling weeds as I had for most of high school, I was spending my summers sitting at a computer designing things. If that younger me could see my life now — instead of life as an engineer, I’m spending my time teaching science, keeping chickens, and looking forward to getting my hands dirty in the garden — he would be horrified.
What changed? Among other things, I encountered the writings of Wendell Berry. Berry, a farmer-writer-activist from Kentucky, often gets dismissed as an old curmudgeon and a Luddite. In 1987 he wrote an article entitled “Why I am not going to buy a computer.” He still doesn’t have one — he has written all of his 52 books by hand, most in a well-lit cabin without electricity — nor does he have a TV, and he farms with horses rather than heavy machinery. But Wendell Berry is much more than these externals. He has inspired generations of organic farmers and eaters, and offered not just a critique of our current culture, but also living proof that there is a better way to live — not just better for the planet, or for our physical health, but “richer in meaning, and more abundant in real pleasure.” In a cultural moment increasingly characterized by meaninglessness and lack of hope — for ourselves, our children, society, the climate — this man’s example is more vital than ever.