Homecoming Curriculum proposed by Wendell Berry
What has happened here? By “here” I mean wherever you live and work.
What should have happened here?
What is here now? What is left of the original natural endowment? What has been lost? What has been added?
What is the nature, or genius of this place?
What will nature permit us to do here without permanent damage or loss?
What will nature help us to do here?
What can we do to mend the damage we have done?
What are the limits: Of the nature of this place? Of our intelligence and ability?
To follow this curriculum is to begin to know deeply. These are great questions to think about as you enter another place that you love visiting. It reminds me also that Swallowfield is on the unceded and ancestral lands of the Kwantlen First Nations and serious reconciliation work needs to happen that might involve “my” property. In order for this to be my home I need to recognize that everyone deserves a place to call home.