Resurrection & Negative Entropy

The Resurrection of Christ by Piero della Francesca (c.1420 - 1492)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Resurrection.JPG

Happy Easter, all!
In a recent passage in the novel, I meditated on the theme of resurrection, and compared it to re-greening a desert, and vice versa. This passage also comes right after an exploration of the concept of entropy, which is important. In general, "things fall apart" -- they go from a state of relative order (low entropy) to a state of increased disorder, or chaos (high entropy). However, things like resurrections and re-greening deserts seem to defy this trend. Please enjoy this interview with the late farmer-philosopher, Masanobu Fukuoka, who said in his book, The Natural Way of Farming, that his goal was to "resurrect a humanity divorced from God" by teaching them natural farming.
Love,
Graham

Greening the Desert

Robert: What have you learned in your 50 years of work about what people could do with their agriculture?

Masanobu: I am a small man, as you can see, but I came to the States with a very big intention. This small man becomes smaller and smaller, and won't last very long, so I'd like to share my idea from 50 years ago. My dream is just like a balloon. It could get smaller and smaller, or it could get bigger and bigger. If it could be said in a brief way, it could be said as the word "nothingness." In a larger way it could wrap the entire earth.

I live on a small mountain doing farming. I don't have any knowledge, I don't do anything. My way of farming is no cultivation, no fertilizer, no chemicals. Ten years ago my book, One Straw Revolution, was published by Rodale Press in the United States. From that point I couldn't just sleep in the mountains. Seven years ago I took an airplane for the first time in my life and went to California, Boston, New York City. I was surprised because I thought the United States was full of green everywhere, but it looked like death land to me... (read more)