The Right Earth
You reap what you sow.
We all know the biblical quote, right? And based on this and the concept of growth, there are thousands of quotes using seeds as the metaphor for life and what it takes for accomplishment. However, is that really the case? I wrote an article about depression and suicide and since @holoz0r is on a "root cause" train of thought currently, he mentioned it again. Dealing with root causes is the goal of course, and is often referred to as "upstreaming" and looks to discover the causes of a problem, rather than treating the symptom. A story that illustrates this is the "Upstream story":
“Imagine a large river with a high waterfall. At the bottom of this waterfall hundreds of people are working frantically trying to save those who have fallen into the river and have fallen down the waterfall, many of them drowning. As the people along the shore are trying to rescue as many as possible one individual looks up and sees a seemingly never-ending stream of people falling down the waterfall and begins to run upstream. One of other rescuers hollers, “Where are you going? There are so many people that need help here.” To which the man replied, “I’m going upstream to find out why so many people are falling into the river.” - Saul Alinsky
What this means is that if we go upstream and discover the root cause of the problems, then we have a chance to change the downstream outcomes. This is great, but it is also good to remember that roots grow from seeds, which means whatever the cause, if the seeds keep getting planted, pulling out the roots of the plants is again treating symptoms. This means that to really find the root cause, we have to stop the seeds from going into the soil.
Though, stopping the seeds might not be possible.
The reason it might not be possible to effectively stop the seeds, is because the environment keeps dropping them, and avoiding them becomes impossible. However, there is something that a lot of people forget when it comes to growing seeds, whether that be in their garden, or in their lives -
The soil.
Soil is the substrate required for the seeds to grow and the composition of the substrate is vital for whether a seed germinates, takes root, and survives into a fruit-bearing plant. If the soil is not conducive to a healthy plant, the plant will just not grow to be healthy. There are many factors that go into it, including acidity, nutrient values as well as water drainage, but we needn't get into that here. My point is, that no matter what seeds you plant in your garden of life, if your soil isn't conducive to growing them, they will not grow well, or perhaps at all.
But just like the environment and soil in a particular location, our personal environment affects the quality of our personal soil. This is why under the same conditions, like that of a working environment, two people can have very different experiences in relation to stress. One can have the type of soil conducive to stopping stress from taking root, the other can have the type that promotes the growth of stress.
And, while we are all born "a certain way" with predispositions that give our soil its base characteristics, just like a garden, we are able to supplement barren earth with nutrients, or replace components, or increase drainage, or whatever it takes to build a soil that makes it possible to succeed with whatever we are aiming to achieve. "This is the way I am" is the statement of someone who is unwilling to do any of the landscaping to be able to grow different outcomes in their garden. Or, perhaps they are completely happy with the outcomes they have, so they have no need to change their garden at all.
How many are completely happy?
Now, as I was talking about mental health issues in the article, let's have a little look at the kinds of things that can affect the soil. While many people are looking for an answer to their type of illness, like depression, they aren't necessarily considering the soil they are trying to plant the seeds into.
Sure, first it is worth understanding the causes of the depression, but even then, there are probably things that people could do to start preparing their soil, because for the most part, humans are generally the same at the base and require much of the same attributes for health. It doesn't mean we can all reach the same level in each, or even have all the aspects at all, but we can all improve the quality of our soil. And what is interesting is that if the soil quality and garden improves and is maintained, the weeds are not only less likely to take root, but they are also easier removed, and the desired plants are able to grow better, stronger, healthier.
What makes a good quality of life soil?
There are many things, but let's keep it pretty basic and think about what is pretty much universally true for all of humanity. We are made up of a few basic components for health - physical, mental, emotional. These are the core of our garden, and if any of these are "unhealthy" it affects the others. They are not independent, they are interdependent. For instance, improving physical health tends to improve mental and emotional health too. Or, improving mental health tends to influence an improvement in physical and emotional health. Exercising isn't just for the body, it can be applied to each of these components. Exercise, is just intentional usage.
Intention is important here, right?
Do you want to be healthy?
Or do you want to be healthy on your terms?
Perhaps your terms aren't conducive to creating the environment required for you to be healthy. Sure, you think you know yourself and what you need, but if you don't have what you need, how well do you really know yourself? Maybe it is someone else's fault, maybe the system holds you back, or some other invisible force, but your garden is your own, and if you aren't improving the quality of the soil, even if you have all the seeds, they are unlikely to grow.
A simple list for improving:
- Physical exercise
- Learning useful skills
- Creating healthy relationships
- Reading and writing on useful
- Creating daily
- Reflecting on experience
- Eating nutritious food
- Exposure to new ideas
- Limiting junk food
- Limiting entertainment consumption
- Limiting social media
- Limiting news media
- Staying generally active
Now, that is a very short list and it is very actionable, though it would require a little reflection on what is currently taking up personal resources perhaps. And while for each of us we might have more or less availability to some of these things, we probably can all impact on the limiting areas. For many, just limiting their entertainment consumption frees up copious amounts of time that could be spent on some of the positive aspects, like learning a skill, or writing.
And anyone can start improving their soil.
What we often fail to recognise is that we are our own self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. It is not what we believe that makes our outcomes, but the environment we live in that has the effect. However, we are not only victims of our environment, we are also perpetrators. So while we might not be able to control all aspects, we can influence many, especially when it comes to our own learned behaviours. A person who has been raised to be overweight, doesn't have to sustain the habits of an overweight person. A person who has been encouraged to hyper-focus on feelings and has become depressed, needn't stay in that mindset.
But changing the soil is not a quick fix, nor does it see immediate results. Our personal gardens have largely been neglected in ways that have put our personal ecosystem out of sync, where we focus on some aspects of it, while others get ignored. We no longer live a balanced lifestyle, where our physical, mental, and emotional needs are met, because we focus more on some pieces than others, often substituting low-nutrient substitutes in as if the artificial flavour provides sustenance of the real thing.
Scrolling Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and X - is not maintaining a healthy social life. In fact, it is largely the antithesis of what is needed in order to have a healthy social life. Sitting down watching Netflix with a partner, isn't a fundamental part of building healthy relationships with that person, and is often an avoidance of the fundamentals. Going to the gym in order to look good, is unlikely to help a person feel good mentally or emotionally, because it sets an environment of unmet expectations and unreachable desires. But this doesn't mean that exercise is bad, does it?
As I see it, when it comes to mental health, there are millions of factors that can impact negatively on it and because each of us have a different garden, what affects one might not be the same for another. However, there are a lot of basics that we can avoid in order to improve our chances of not poisoning our soil. Similarly, there are millions of things we can do in order to improve the quality of our soil so as to counter the negative seeds that fall into it, but nearly all of them are active, not passive activities.
Do more. Sit less.
But, what needs to be done is a personal journey that needs to be discovered and applied by the individual. Yes, outside sources can help, but no one can make you healthy, but you, because they can't do the activities for you, so that you get the physical, mental, and emotional benefits. And them trying can not only make it worse, it can also make their lives worse also. And sitting less is a metaphor only, because practical sitting might help you, like a bit of meditation. However, if sitting is stopping you from improving your garden, stopping you from meaningful experience, then it should be severely limited.
So, the root problem isn't necessarily the seeds that are planted, but the soil substrate that is conditioned to raise unhealthy plants. That soil is made up of internal and external factors, but we as individuals are the only ones that can really affect our current conditions, and in so doing, have a chance of conditioning our environment that influences the environments of others too, so that more people have better quality soil, and an increasing amount of healthy seeds falling into their garden.
People don't fall into the river, because they are tending to their garden.
No matter what seeds you sow, you can only reap what your garden allows you to grow. And, we can all have an impact on what our garden can grow. You might know exactly what you need. You might be doing exactly what you think you should. But if it is what you need and you are doing the right things, why isn't it working?
Are you sure you know?
Taraz
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It will only take time to adapt in maintaining a good and mental health especially for people who are living in past experience. But deep down the people who feel more depressed are people who find it difficult to share their feelings to others.
It can only get better when having the positive mind to move on and correct past mistakes. Though, we are humans and in that sense we are not perfect but to maintain a good relationship and mental health, it is advisable to seek help from other people who can assist in reducing the pressure and depressed situation.
I am not so sure. Perhaps they are unwilling to show their true feelings. That nagging in their head that they are part of the issue.
Amazing insight...😊
I really enjoyed reading this. Personally, I think the soil example explains a lot about life. A lot of us only take steps to confront our problems when they are already too overwhelming for us to handle. Although, some might say they have little or no power over what happened to them as some actually happened without prior notice, for instance, some that has accident and become paralysed. In as much we can strive to make our 'soil' healthy for seed to germane well. How about the unwanted seed that life planted in our garden, which we couldn't control until it grow before we can think of how to handle and control the unwanted germination or should I use the word 'plant'.
From my own experience, however, I’ve noticed that when I take care of my “soil” through small things like exercise, reading, or even just limiting social media as you have rightly suggested, I handle stress much better. On the other hand, when I neglect myself, even little problems feel heavier. So I agree with you that it’s not always about the seeds but about the condition of the soil we allow them to grow in.
When we bought this house about five years ago, the garden was an absolute mess. We did a bit of what we could to clean it up, but we focused on renovating the house itself. The garden had to wait. However, I continually did something, even small things to improve it, and this year with the time and a lot of effort, I did a large amount and it looks pretty good. Sometimes, we "inherit" a pretty poor quality soil and garden, but with nurture, it can change. It isn't a fast process though.
We seem to want quick fixes, but filling a garden with plastic plants, doesn't make it a nice garden :)
Instead of searching for a superficial solution to the problem, it's more logical to get to the root of the problem. This will also lead to a lasting solution.
We can add "Staying away from people who emit negative energy, drain our energy, and are dishonest" to the list.
What goes around comes around. If you tend it, it becomes a vineyard; if you don't, it becomes a mountain. I think this is a very good saying, and it's relevant. It's in our power to heal and enrich the soil.
As long as we are sensitive to reality, and not just staying away out of convenience. Learning how to deal with assholes is valuable!
I really liked the idea of comparing soil to the human self, and how the quality of the “inner environment” determines whether the seeds will grow or not. Sometimes people focus on pulling out the weeds but forget that the soil itself also needs care and nourishment.
And this can be and endless process. Lay a little mulch, and the job is much easier :)
So first, I would like to talk about the root cause of my root cause train of thoughts. Not all the way back to birth, of course - that would be silly!
I don't think I've ever been off this train, at least not recently in my life. Probably stems have having been a business analyst for far too many years, I think it is embedded into my thought patterns at this point. :P
I am optimistically (perhaps tragically) passionate about identifying the true root cause of things, because it solves the underlying problems that we complain about, or struggle to deal with, both as individuals, customers, businesses, governments, or whatever it is we're trying to solve for.
I think that this train of thought is derailed (heh, pun) - by the fact that a lot of
the time, the problems don't want to be solved. There's always a vested interest that profits from the status quo. There's always someone else's comfort that must be moved to the side so that someone else may find comfort.
I could rant about equity of opportunity, because equity of outcome is, as you suggest, in someone's own hands.
I hate to bring it back to employment, but so many jobs want people to use the "STAR" model - Situation, Task, Action, Result - and "SMART" goals - "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound" - and these things really do work if you apply them to your own life, however, there is difficulty in people being able to access the things that help them achieve those goals.
Ultimately, everyone's goals, should basically be to fulfil their hierarchy of needs, and to simply walk away from consumerism. Buy what you need to fulfil your goals, and then fill the "void" left by not consuming by enriching your life through all the things you mentioned - exercise, reading, writing, learning, music, art.
I try to spend money on as few days as possible. There's no daily coffee, no daily piece of cake, not even a weekly grocery shop. I try to limit my grocery shops to monthly (we have a large freezer!) - and ensure they are list based. The amount of exposure I can then have to consumerism is much, much smaller. Moving to a small town without a massive shopping complex helped, too. :P
I think the other point is that some seeds (be they people, or ideas) - will simply not flourish in any type of soil, no matter how favorable the conditions are. Not all life is viable, and that's a tough thing for people and governments to come to terms with.
And, lastly, I still maintain, that if we work together to remove the things that frustrate people each day, that are genuine roadblocks to their happiness, or to them meeting their basic needs, that we can live on a better planet.
A lot of people will lose their comforts in order to do this, but there's one thing we have an excess of on Earth at the moment is excess (and by that I mean flamboyant things for flamboyant people).
Yeah, I figured. The mention of it was more of a way to introduce the current conversations :)
Yes. It is about setting the environment for success at what you are looking to accomplish. If you want to spend less, don't surround yourself with advertising. Set up hurdles to watch netflix, or whatever bad habit, and make it easier to do the good ones.
Or at least, not viable under current conditions. In some alternate timeline, perhaps :D
For sure. I just don't see governments or corporations removing roadblocks that diminish their financial returns and gains in power. If we want to have it, we have to do it. If government is involved, we have to control what they provide, not vice versa. Ultimately, all this business and governance should be working for us, not against our health.
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Many of us tend to forget the fact that, although we can't control every seed that life throws our way, we can certainly enhance the environment where they flourish.
We can always influence something in our environment. We often do it poorly and make the soil toxic though.
So you are saying I should just pave over everything? :)
Absolutely. concrete it all down! :D
Indeed, that’s the difference between someone who collapses at the first negative seed and someone who can face it or pull it out with ease.
If the foundation is strong, it can take more stress.
Yeah, I think understanding what your garden can actually grow (based on climate, soil, etc) is also crucial. Taking the time to analyze your "garden" in terms what will grow well is very important, and there's generally a lack of such reflection in many people. Thanks for your thoughts!
I live in Finland, I need to spend far too much resource to grow bananas, but I can grow fantastic strawberries. We can change everything in our environment, but we can optimise for what is well-suited.
Love the bananalogy!
We usually focus on fixing problems after they happen instead of creating the right conditions for growth from the start. Environment shapes everything and it’s beem overlooked, this is wise
When we "want the best for our kids" we should be looking to help them develop the soil they need to have a beautiful garden of life.
Great parenting advice 🥰
I find everything you have said about depression and mental health, using the allegory or metaphor of soil and seeds, to be very profound, and extremely important, and true. I think you are absolutely right that often our environment does not help us to be better, and in other cases it is our own fault. I know many cases of people who say, “That's just how I am” when they try to justify things they can't. I think that's because they have an inflated ego (out of sheer pride) or because they lack the ability to reflect.
In any case, I agree with you on the list of activities that would help us improve and be healthier, although I must admit that I don't actually do all of them. But when it comes to social media and “junk” information on the internet, I take great care of my mind. I don't watch much news, because I noticed that it was bad for my mental health, even when it came from serious sources.Although many criticize me, I have acquired the healthy habit of taking care of what enters my mind. That is why I limit the information that reaches me and discard pseudo-information to avoid stress.
As for limiting entertainment, I believe that extremes are never good, and it all depends on what we call entertainment. Because when viewed as a pastime, entertainment is necessary for our fulfillment and mental health, allowing us to escape from stress. However, I have often made the mistake of neglecting my hobbies, which I feel has greatly affected my quality of life; and this is something I am currently trying to correct in myself.
For me, social media platforms such as Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram, and all the others are not hobbies, and I agree that they are not a valid way to socialize either. Rather, they are a direct obstacle to what should be hobbies and a real, healthy social life. The aforementioned social media platforms are a spectacular way to waste time without realizing that time is money and health. Sooner or later, this affects our mental and emotional health as much as it does our financial health. I think we should learn to distinguish between healthy, recommended entertainment and what is not. Social media is definitely not healthy or useful entertainment.
This whole issue generates a lot of debate, but that is because of its great importance and how many aspects that should be basic to us (such as everything you mentioned) sometimes clash directly with our beliefs, customs, and actions. This is my opinion on the matter.