The weed-eater

Balance_Rng, ESAI EN ROI Volunteer; Candidate Youth Worker || FR

ESC individual volunteering be SUSTAINABLE SPORTIVE & CULTURAL project  03/01/2026 to 03/07/2026 2024-1-EL02-ESC51-VTJ-000200188

Hi,

It as been quite a time since I started to think of writing about the weed-eater.

Group of symbiotic growing biotope

Maybe two years. It never came out cause I didn't knew how to put it in a way that will not harm my fellows plant's worker.

However, today, again surrounded by the sound of the devil's tool, I felt the will to give the payment back.

Many years ago, when I started to work in gardens I eventually had to use them.

Quite a lot actually. Those tools are know for there supposed efficiency and so, a must have for the professionals. Isn't the machine a symbol of industrial work and performance? How to be professional alike without the expensive, loud, and gas powered tools? The appearances matters.

Carduus's inflorescences

But behind the curtain of "performance" I remember. All the time and work implied by the full preparation for the right use of the tool. So tiresome and time-consuming that I never encounter any professional using all the protections and working with the recommended precautions. The gain of time offered by the motor would have been lost, using properly and safely the tool.

I've been told that no other tools could match the weed-eater's efficiency. And I agree. If your purpose is to cause the maximum damage it's pretty efficient. I give efficiency another definition when it comes to gardening.

wild spinach

When my work strength my body and help me recognize the plants, understand what useful to cut and whats good to keep. I fell efficient.

When my tool cut me from my environment, shake my skeleton and destroy all the unknown I stay with the felling I still need to rest, to read and nowhere to do it.

As we "eat" the plants a strange feeling of entropy come to us. We become strangely addicted to the power it gives us upon the plants. Nothing can resist. Easy and satisfying to be able to destroy by a gas powered extension of our bodies.

Everything comes with a price and all simple satisfaction must be balanced.

I'm not saying it is not hard work. It is. We believe the machine-tool makes it easier. We, in the end, didn't work less but "faster". By using a thermal tool we believe that because we don't directly use the strength of our bodies to cut ( replaced by the gas power ) it is a more intelligent, comfortable and advanced way of work.

But as we use it, many hours straight, carrying the weight, supporting the noises and vibration, the body gets hurt. My feeling is that the mind too.

Using a manual tool.

A simple blade may seems hard work, it is. The kind that strength the body without hurting because we can still, in the quietness, listen to it and more easily take a break;

You work, damaging less around, actually efficiently can cut the grass as you practice. And right after, it is still possible to rest in your garden enjoying the sounds of life that makes it more fertile.

It permit to be more precise, to take a better look and maybe take the choice not to cut this or that. You may have learned that this one plant is comestible or medicinal, nor carry the eggs who will prevent from other garden's damaging life form or pollinate your crops.

I still use thermals

Because it sometimes is a great help, my purpose isn't to deny it. And I don't have the necessity to product enough so I can sell it to live. I here wanted to share a bit of my perspectives, aiming to change our relation with the biodiversity, the garden, the agricultural work.

Balance_Rng for Artivia's blog