On the last day of class we will view a documentary about the practices and memory of Gardening, and how that supports living a happy life, or even live a life with well-being. In this documentary we will understand various obstacles to human flourishing that seem to be everywhere (common or systematic practices and policies), and we will think hard about how our own flourishing is entangled with others’ flourishing. By the end of class:
1. You should understand how systems (political, economic, etc) promote or impede access to gardening.
2. You should understand how city planning promotes or impedes gardening in a good society.
WATCH THIS:
Watch this short documentary about Ron Finley before class. We’ll watch the longer documentary,Can You Dig This, during class.
Consider the following questions, write your responses in your journal, and talk about them with a friend:
1. How might becoming a gardener make you happier? Which theory of happiness are you using in answering the former question?
2. Imagine if there were no gardeners and all gardens were destroyed. How would this impact human happiness and well-being? How would it impact the more than human world if human beings played no role in caring for plant species, etc.?
3. What can you do in your life, right now, to appreciate gardening and gardens even more? What practices (rituals) would help you to become more appreciative?