After going to college for Environmental Studies and working in the mountain outback for eight years, I was grateful to have learned that symmetry is important. All physical things require a state of balance. Yet in spiritual things, I think there is no such thing. It always feels like all or nothing to me.

This is how I feel about the human ability to live as part of the land in any way, shape, or form. The vast tracts of land that have been privatized and excluded from the general populace’s ability to live prosperous lives upon are not, in themselves, a crime—though clearly an aggrevating force.

Personally, I think the U.S. Government should offer a new Homestead Act on a modern scale using some of the public lands.

The reason is this: people are no longer able to create new cultures outside of any 75-year-old institution. Unfortunately, these structures—made in good faith—no longer support the needs of the people they were meant to feed.

This causes people to become vulnerable and fearful. In my mind, this is why, when all we have known begins to fade, sometimes the only thing left to do is softly dance. To avoid the conflicts which surround us and make something beautiful out of it.

It’s funny, because early on I intended to be writing towards teachers and their pupils. Suddenly I realize I’m writing for those of you who ask yourselves why does this all need to be so complicated.

I’ve seen all the eco-terror stuff—the Edward Abbey Monkey Wrench Gang-inspired powerline saboteurs. After a while, you see enough to realize extremism is short-sighted and magnifies polarity.

To me, the question is: how do we catch the babies being dropped out the windows? How do we design for that? How do we design to create soft landings for our communities and the children that proceed us?

Only a few people can do what they can. The element of time contributes to the scope of the succession that needs to occur. Demanding a never ending patience from one generation to the next. This is why it’s so important that we first remember what living in the garden was like. Once we can do that, we create space where others can remember as well.

The Earth is a garden. We have spent the last 2000 years trying to escape to the garden, when we were already there.