Weekly Reaction #11 - It Makes Me Kind of Sick

Due to a previous commitment, I had to depart early from our honor’s agricultural adventure. I missed out on the trip to Fair Oaks farm and, yesterday, journeyed to Fair Oaks to make up for my absence. I found the experience eye-opening and educational. I had no idea that a dairy operation could be so large.

And neither did the farmer who accompanied us on our tour.

Standing in a small room overlooking the “cow carousal”, a man standing next to me asked if Micah and I were farmers, or apart of or associated with farming I assume. We told him we were students and he told us that he himself was a dairy farmer. We both gazed at the endless line of cattle.

I asked him, “What do you think about all of this?”

He laughed and replied, “There seems to be more cows on that machine than I own. It makes me kind of sick.”

The tour moved on. I wish there had been another opportunity to discuss his opinion of Fair Oaks. He had brought his wife and children, four to be exact, all under the age of six or seven. Seeing this farmer of a small dairy farm with his children at a huge operation like Fair Oaks made me wonder where his children will be in twenty years. Will they be working side-by-side or near their father on a farm. Will they be in a city starting their own families? These reminded me of the theme the Hannah Coulter group presented on Thursday: Education leads away from the home.

This concept makes sense. It’s the natural order of things in our culture. Parents raise their children until they graduate high school. Then, as the children depart for college, the military, or work, they slowly let go. The goal is to create independent young adults who are capable of finding their own place in society. How often do you hear people joke about how shameful it is to live with your parents as an adult? We are supposed to be self-sufficient, to pursue the American dream. It’s just a part of our culture and thought-process.

I am reminded of the week we read about Confucius and the Eastern mindset of family and honor. It’s almost the opposite of ours. They value age and wisdom while we value youth and newness. My notes from class on “filial piety” contain phrases like: “origins are important”, “reverence for ancestors and those still living”, and “how we treat ourselves and others reflects on parents.” This way of living is so foreign to me. And, granted, the values of Confucius’ time do not necessarily reflect the general values of Eastern nations now. Phrases like these remind me of the theme we heard from the chapel speakers from Flint, MI. They were embedded in their place, doing God’s work and serving their communities. I wonder what kind of impact this type of cultural mindset on family and origin would have on the issues discussed in class.

So when did education begin to lead away from the home? Well, from the novel our group has been reading and the Wendell Berry novels, it seems that the change from agrarian to urbanization is one factor. Another factor is that education is more accessible now and open to all. And then there’s this question, is it really that bad that our culture is built on immediate family independence? In my head, leaving your parents and home to start somewhere new is an accomplishment. The only conclusion I can come to about education and leaving one’s original place is that it is healthy and necessary as long as you strive to find new place to invest in and grow in.