What if I don't have a backyard ?

Fertile land access or the very hearth of the survival contest

-Intro-

Demat d'an holl! (means "hi everyone" in Breton. We had the discussion with that Greek friend about how important it is to properly say hello so we may talk to each other even if we don't think the same. Like the thing that carry the power to bring peace over the world. We probably already had to much Rakomelo.. But I forgot to say hello previously and this change now!)

I’ve lost my personal paper journal. You will excuse me if I seem to be talking to myself here. It might be a bit of a mess this time. But the world is a mess we live in so you’ll accept it easily I guess. 

Thessaloniki's panoramic view from the high of the Meteora park - credit: Balance_Rng

So, It has been two weeks since I arrived in Thessaloniki. Two weeks by far too intense for the hibernate season. How could I feel it's time for a rest when everything around me keeps going without noticing it's cold and dark out there?? Cities are an artificial environment we take for real. No surprise then we suffer some artificiality in our lifestyle. 

Anyway, I’ll reserve slowness and calm for my last days. I’m too young not to accept intensity when it knocks at my chemistry brain door. Wisdom has to be built by youth mistakes. No mistake in the youth will only bring regrets. And I could never endure calm if my mind screams at me all its regrets.  Intensity, all right. But how could we use this nonstop life to get healthier and resilient ? ( we can't. )

I’ll take this moment to write my apologies. To the people I failed to smile to lately. And to myself. I let the stickiness of concrete afraid my heart and keep me away from certain people. I started to think weirdly. Tried to fit a mood that isn't mine and for a second lost sense for what I'm doing. I'll try to explain what that "sense" is to me and why then we don't need any backyard to prosper and contest inequalities. Also, sorry for the smoking, bad food, screen time and stretch laziness.

All preachers are sinners.

Everywhere is a place for something(one?) to growth. 

Like Sapiens, if we super simplify ( I know about the atmosphere and the whole planet ecosystem but since we don't have to craft it yet), plants only need few things to survive :

• Space

~ you already know that ~ - The basic is earth soil but, plants can grow in water ( exp : algae) or on other plants ( exp: orchids ) and even fur !

• Sun

~ obviously ~ - The well know photosynthesis. The carbon will become the plant body (glucose) and water (H²O) will be transform into oxygen (O). The sugar (glucose) will be, between other things, used as energy and exchanged with mushrooms. Since I evoked algae in sloths fur, I'll talk more about symbiotic relationships in a next article ( compost.

• Water

x2 + O =H²O

~ life basic ~ - For structure (cells) and to adsorb minerals by capillarity. Also vital for photosynthesis.

I attended two hours of chemical class in my school time but I bet you know what water is.

• Other living things around

~ to share .a joke. and eat them :o ( I know they don't eat them directly with their teeth but prefer to wait they die and get digest by other first, we will discuss it later ) ~- A plant need bacteria and mushrooms to eat and communicate. Its a very large and exiting search field. I don't think that there is any scientific consensus on the communication matter. In fact we observe a lot of different ways plants have to communicate. To institutionally acknowledge that plants communicate could change our outlook on them and help us to protect the plant order from human greed and blindness. The secret languages of nature - Jean-Marie PELT 1996 and The tropical condition - Francis HALLE 2010 to go further and try to understand the livings.

So as long those four thing exist, and it's not so hard to gather ( save water! ), we can increase biodiversity.

Inside or balcony gardens

Inside plant won't improve the air quality of your apartment as we can usually believe. But almost every plant will stock CO² and release oxygen. In fine having inside or balcony garden plant will increase the global air quality. It will be more a common thing than an individual thing. The local benefits will appear with shadow and temperature regulation during the summer. Plants will reduced the noises and for certain bring nice sent in our lives. More than that, they are actual living and beautiful roommate that increase the esthetic of our surrounding environment.

Indoor onion on a rock- credit : Balance_Rng

To have surrounding plants that need your care will lead you to a more empathetic approach in your day to day life. To have a compost ( we will talk about that little love latter ) will make more sense as yo use it to feed the soil of your life partner. To breed new plants is a right that, as long we keep it (careful about F1 seeds ), allow us to emancipate from a life we have to buy to enjoy. Gardening is the most simple and difficult for the capitalism to forbid act we can use to militate for a more peaceful and human life.

Fertile disobedience

Well, you will not fell from your chair if I tell you elected governments don't respect their vaults and that we are not enjoying the experience of an ecological change in our national policies. Let's take the initiative then. There is no quicker way to see a change than making it ourself.

With internet it is no big deal to learn how to plant anything. You can also go see your relatives or neighbors who knows how to do it properly and might help you with advice or handy support. The idea is not to wait the license but to plant anyway everywhere you think it could be nice to have more vegetation.

Pedagogical indoor garden of medicinal plants in Tena's health center - credit : Balance_Rng

It give a active way to fight Eco-anxiety and is a manners of pacifically manifest our desire for more sustainable future. Don't be scared about conflict. We already are in a fight for survival, along with everything alive, no matter we choose it or not. It's our choice to stand and do something about it instead of being eternal victims of deadly policies.

Gratitude

We will accept to be mocked. To be ignored by the common sense of those who don't feel dirty in the smokes of the city but can't stand dirt under their nails. And if one day, they wish to learn how, I've no pride not to teach them.

I may speak rudely. I don't want to erased my rage to quickly. Rage is a lie but it still help my young heart to face the audacity of a society who praised the individual success before the common health. For now I'll accept this as my way, I already know the issues. Half a monk ( more like 1% ), half a bad b*tch ( 99%??). Willing that one day I'll provide with my pears that piece of land we deserve to experience that short while marvelous, strange and beautiful reality we call life;

Thanks for reading,

Balance_Rng writing for Artivia's magazine