“Mom I want this!” “Can I get another one?” “How can we beat out the competitor?” “We need this to be as easy and efficient as possible!” Most parts of the United States in present day are defined by these phrases. Unfortunately in today’s capitalist society, we are always searching for bigger and better things, never satisfied with what we have. There is no time to stop for a minute and feel the sense of accomplishment for all that we have done and have yet to do. The mix of strong work ethics and desire for easy solutions also make people forget what is important. People do not spend as much quality time with their friends and family. Always on the go, people stop eating healthy meals with their families and take time to relax. Instead the motivating factor is stuff. “What can I buy next to be seen as successful to my peers?” This mentality has made us into a more negative and ungrateful society. On the bright side, this is not true for all of society.
In the book Deeply Rooted, a dairy farmer named Harry is introduced. He has been working on his family dairy farm since he was a young adult and takes pride in everything he does. Harry is efficient, but does not rush the process when working at the farm to make sure he does the best job he can do. He also adopts a minimalistic lifestyle, which many of us do not do. Harry believes that he should not pay for something new if what he is using will work just as well. People in today’s society should think about Harry’s views on the world. I know if I stepped back from the capitalist views society has and took time to reflect on what is truly important, I would be a lot happier. When reading Deeply Rooted, it reminded me of Braiding Sweetgrass and how we should be more appreciative of what we have like Harry and Robin Wall Kimmerer are. Like Robin Wall Kimmerer said this past Thursday, if one person’s way of thinking is changed, eventually others will follow their new way of thinking.
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