Auntiegrav sent me some seed about a week ago.
Instead of setting up deals, asking permission, kissing asses, writing 22-page land use proposals, etc., I planted these seeds where I thought they should be planted on marginal land that I don’t own.
The lesson is this: sometimes you shouldn’t ask permission. When you make it easy for somebody to say “no,” he/she usually will because, despite all the rhetoric about taking risks, most people won’t or don’t unless they are forced to. There are thousands of stupid rules and laws that prohibit people from being people — even when it doesn’t hurt anything.
Another case this weekend is when I suggested to a friend that we kayak the Harlem River. She immediately stated her fear of breaking the law. “We’re not supposed to put a boat in the water here.”
Really? Why not? Here’s the water’s edge… there’s the water. What’s the problem?
People are convinced that if it’s unconventional that it must be illegal. That is the real crime.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
The best way to do something is to do it.
I always ascribe to the it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission rule, that’s the kind of rule I like.
Thank you AuntieGrav. There is an organization in my area who are actually called “Guerrilla Gardeners” and I always donate my extra seeds to them.
You go, man. Plants don’t ask permission of each other.
Random thoughts from the tractor while baling hay today: I’m re-listening to a favorite Walter Mosely book, “Fearless Jones” (read by Don Cheadle who does an awesome job). One point is that “lawyers never apologize, because it’s an admission of guilt”.
We have become a culture of “ask forgiveness, not permission”, and I have two problems with that. First, real genuinely useful human acts shouldn’t require anyone’s permission, and shouldn’t generate any feelings of guilt to ask forgiveness for.
Second, the reason we have to jump through the hoops is because our bureaucrats (not just politicians, but anyone who creates a form.) have forgotten the real golden rule: “If you want people to do the right thing, make it easier for them to do the right thing than the wrong one.”
We shouldn’t have to go around the system. This is fucking AMERICA. It’s OUR system we are going around.
Second random thought from the local news: Milwaukee Public Schools is laying off over 1000 teachers this year for budget reasons. They are spending the summer learning how to make resumes and how to file for unemployment benefits.
I’m kinda curious about this, as I’m thinkin’ that if you can’t file for unemployment without help, you shouldn’t exactly have been allowed in front of a classroom full of curious minds. I would send them some seeds but I’m afraid they wouldn’t know what they are.
“We have become a culture of “ask forgiveness, not permission”, and I have two problems with that. First, real genuinely useful human acts shouldn’t require anyone’s permission, and shouldn’t generate any feelings of guilt to ask forgiveness for.”
Well now we get into the problem of what’s genuinely useful. In my experience definitions seem to vary.
I have an acquaintance of the “screw bureaucracy” persuasion who thought it truly and genuinely useful to buy 5 gallons of ice cream to contribute to my gathering of 8 people, or 4 cases of beer to hang out with me and one other person, etc.
I had several discussions with him as to why I was uncomfortable throwing out four gallons of ice cream at the end of the party or why I didn’t want that much beer lying around my house. He was offended, of course. In his mind he was just trying to be helpful, and why would I care about the wastefulness of the situation since I wasn’t the one spending the money?
Additionally, asking him not to burden me with extra ice cream for which I didn’t have space seemed to exacerbate the problem: on the next occasion there would be an even bigger contribution of ice cream, or silly string (ever try to clean up after 50 cans of that stuff?), or whatever he thought the situation “required”.
For him it appeared that any rule/externally imposed standard, not just those of bureaucrats but of people he called friends as well, that he couldn’t handle.
What that relationship taught me was to seek out people in my life that had some respect for society’s rules. They seem to be much more respectful of my boundaries as well.
I say we Get Back to BEing COURAGEOUS again. It’s like everything else, if you don’t exercise your COURAGE “muscles” they become wasted. And no amount of California grass can help ya.
Courage or lack of – starts in the mind. Notice how and what your mind resists…then watch it work…as it kicks up fear and slams the brakes on a perfectly good adventure (kayaking anyone?). Wonder why?
Courage is so much more than facing what you resist. Yet, facing reality/truth is the first step.
Courage is a way of Being. One needs to have clarity of purpose in life, so that thoughts (head/thinking), words (heart/feeling), and deeds (hands/doing)are in alignment with what you value – with what matters most.
For example, I value the preciousness I see in others and have a desire to respect their path/place without judgement(a non-harming precept). As long as the gardening or kayaking adventures are uplifting and reaffirming to the participants/others, then JoJo, it’s time to BE the Courage – and jump in. Strap on that PFD and give it all you’ve got!
http://www.otterbar.com/
Stephanie said: “Well now we get into the problem of what’s genuinely useful. In my experience definitions seem to vary. I have an acquaintance of the “screw bureaucracy” persuasion who thought it truly and genuinely useful to buy 5 gallons of ice cream to contribute to my gathering of 8 people, or 4 cases of beer to hang out with me and one other person, etc.”
I use the term “useful” and try not to say “net useful” too much, but it’s always implied.
“Net Useful” means that it is something that benefits the universe (local or in general) now and in the future, more than it consumes in resources. Your friend just wanted to consume and make the motions of usefulness without any self-moderation. This is the lack of “genuine” thought or action which leads to more bureaucracy. You might want to explain that to him.
I have a friend who wanted to ‘rescue’ a bunch of cabbages and squash last fall on another farm. I ended up with a smelly barn for my accommodation of her “effort” which would have been better left undone, though, at the time seemed like a good idea.
The total accounting of Net Usefulness is not for us to make in the present, but for the future universe to judge. We can just try not to be really ignorant about our actions. Unfortunately, there is a whole world of marketing ‘science’ that wants just the opposite: constantly ‘creating’ new markets where we are initially ignorant so that we feel ‘enlightened’ when we partake of their products. Of COURSE if you are having a party, you MUST have 4 ‘choices’ of ice cream, and everyone might choose the same flavor (apparently the same flavor of beer float..;-).
Stephanie:
P.S. Your friend shouldn’t feel too bad…his behavior is the same thing the patent office encourages every day.
I was just picking on my sister in law for this. God bless her, but everything is “against the law!” Of course, this is Minnesota and they simply cannot let people be – so some of it really might be against the law. I asked her about driving barefoot – because everybody thinks that’s “against the law!” and she actually said that no – they changed it. Instead you just have to have your shoes with you in case of a breakdown. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but really, if these 400-pounders break down, they’re not walking far, shoes or not. Let’s be honest.
It’s one of the reasons I love pot. I don’t smoke it or care for it. But I love that as you drive down any gravel road in Nebraska, the shit is growing wild. You just can’t outlaw a plant.
“I’m kinda curious about this, as I’m thinkin’ that if you can’t file for unemployment without help, you shouldn’t exactly have been allowed in front of a classroom full of curious minds. I would send them some seeds but I’m afraid they wouldn’t know what they are.”
Did that little knock make you feel better about yourself? As a former teacher I readily admit to being confused by government forms and processes, especially during traumatic times of my life. Too bad you couldn’t bottle up your awesomeness and send it to those poor stupid teachers in Milwaukee.
No, it didn’t make me feel better. It made me sad for the state of affairs of our bureaucracy and education in general.
They don’t want my awesomeness: I don’t have credentials to get near their Wizard’s Tower.
Then at least a ream of pithy faux-folksy blog comments? Shouldn’t take too long.
Feel free to forward them to all of your colleagues.