Page 119 - BB_Textbook

faith in humanity – he quit, and went home to his family farm in Brazil, which had itself become barren through drought and intensive cattle farming. Doing your Work can batter your beliefs and your optimism.
RESTORATION
But here the Work took an amazing turn. Salgado and
Lelia got their hands into the dirt, replanting the farm with millions of trees. The story of the regeneration of that piece of land is itself the stuff of the miraculous. Over a 15-year period the land was transformed from a barren cattle ranch to flourishing rainforest. Today it is The Instituto Terra. Participating in this effort restored Salgado and brought new love and life to his Work. Sometimes you have to go home and get closer to the living earth to feed your Work.
WORK MOVES
Building on the inspiration he got from the rebirth of this landscape, Salgado launched into his next project, Genesis, which took from 2004-2013. This was a global photographic love poem to the natural living world, and became both a global touring exhibition and a book. His aim: “I just want people to feel closer to our planet. We are all so out of touch. We don’t feel part of the planet anymore, so we must turn back...closer to nature.” Sometimes the Work moves: this time from human life, to Life.
INSPIRATION
The ‘Salt of the Earth’ and the Work of Salgado contain an inspiring story for all of us who are working to create more compassionate and earth-intelligent ways of living. It’s often not about an easy road or predictable quick results. The Work is often hard, and requires the support of others. It may take us to places we didn’t want to go. Sometimes we have to step back and work on our own restoration before we can carry on. And sometimes all of this is what it takes to bring about transformation.
The Man Who Planted Trees
Jean Giono (London: Harvill Secker, 2015).
Step One. This parable is available at the Resource Center for Bending Bamboo and in this audio recording: http:// listentogenius.com/recordings4/ManPlantedTrees.mp3.
As any good parable will do, it draws its readers and listeners into the simple story line of a peasant farmer who planted seeds, grew trees, and nourished community life. The parable gathered global attention.
Step Two. Work with a classmate. Listen to the recording, take good notes, and answer the questions that follow. Bring your answers to class.
1. Is this parable believable? Why or why not?
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2. Can one person make such a profound difference in nature and human society? Again, why or why not?
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3. This parable drew international acclaim. People were thrilled to hear this story. And then many were seriously disturbed to discover that the parable was ... well, a parable ... and not an accounting of an actual person, place, and time. What clues are there in the story line that it is a “work of fiction?”
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4. That said, how much “truth” is there in this work of fiction? Can fiction present truth?
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BENDING BAMBOO
CLIMATE | CHAPTER 2 119