Yes, these machines are monsters. This is not forestry, it is rape. It is a vile manifestation of where 'efficiency' leads us. Forever running faster while sliding backwards. *Sigh* What to do? I don't know. Resist. Evade. Elude. Invent another, better, more humane game for people to play.
An honour to have a woodworker comment on this. I have the highest regard for craftsmen. The work you do is to be cherished and rightly valued (my father-in-law is a leather craftsman).
I agree, resist where possible and evade are the only options it seems. The machine pace and reach is relentless.
"For on the altar of the smartphone we have sacrificed our attention spans on vanity, our productive time “on that which does not earn us our bread”, and our time with friends and family for our “virtual” or online friends. The question of pertinence for us all ‘is are excising the moral restraint necessary to use the smartphone well?’. If not, we shall find it dominates our lives - which is the definition of a life outside of our control. "
These observations are especially pertinent for the young - it pains me to see so many children glued to the screen of their phones. You are right in noting that the smartphone is an altar of sacrifice; I wrote about this recently and suggested necessary ingredients to cure our addiction: https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/tiktok-brain-cure-with-three-ingredients
Trees. Just writing the word evokes a kind of awe for me. We use trees as a primary design motif in our home. For me trees are one of creation’s great wonders. My imagination about Eden is populated with abundant trees in that ecosystem. As you pointed out, trees seem to also be the object of derision for some who see them as obstacles.
It's the last point that hits home to me personally in my relationship with my father-in-law who grew up a poor farmer in central South Dakota. His mentality is that trees are simply in the way of productive crop land and should be removed – from the single oak to miles of hedgerow. When he stays with us, he has commented to my wife that the trees I am letting grow in our pasture should be removed.
Shade for livestock is an important reason to allow a limited number of trees to grow in pasture. However, trees also act as a kind of mineral accumulator. With a deeper root network and a large rhizosphere (and all the soil food web that comes with that), trees can access minerals and nutrients deeper in the soil than most pasture forage and bring them up and push them into the leaves. These leaves are browsed by many species of livestock and thus improve animal health. The leaves also fall and decompose on the surface and distribute these valuable nutrients making them more available to the forage nearby.
But, most importantly in my opinion, is that trees are part of God’s design for His creation. We are to view them as part of His provision but within His plan of stewardship, not our own. Like any other part of God’s creation, we should, we must, see them in this light. God provides for us in many ways. Trees fall into that provision. But, do we approach them with appropriate reverence as an integrated part of God’s design? Do we fully understand what it means when we remove any linked component of creation for our own felt needs? My observation, and a point you made well, is that most of us do not see a tree the way we should.
Very much agree with your thoughts and observations Dan. It is sad that over here in the UK in the 60s-70s the government had a policy of paying farmers to remove (grubbing out) hedgerows to create larger fields. Thousands of kilometres were destroyed. Conversely now the government pays for protection of hedgerows and incentivises their creation in the landscape!
Yes, these machines are monsters. This is not forestry, it is rape. It is a vile manifestation of where 'efficiency' leads us. Forever running faster while sliding backwards. *Sigh* What to do? I don't know. Resist. Evade. Elude. Invent another, better, more humane game for people to play.
Best regards from a Norwegian woodworker.
An honour to have a woodworker comment on this. I have the highest regard for craftsmen. The work you do is to be cherished and rightly valued (my father-in-law is a leather craftsman).
I agree, resist where possible and evade are the only options it seems. The machine pace and reach is relentless.
"For on the altar of the smartphone we have sacrificed our attention spans on vanity, our productive time “on that which does not earn us our bread”, and our time with friends and family for our “virtual” or online friends. The question of pertinence for us all ‘is are excising the moral restraint necessary to use the smartphone well?’. If not, we shall find it dominates our lives - which is the definition of a life outside of our control. "
These observations are especially pertinent for the young - it pains me to see so many children glued to the screen of their phones. You are right in noting that the smartphone is an altar of sacrifice; I wrote about this recently and suggested necessary ingredients to cure our addiction: https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/tiktok-brain-cure-with-three-ingredients
Trees. Just writing the word evokes a kind of awe for me. We use trees as a primary design motif in our home. For me trees are one of creation’s great wonders. My imagination about Eden is populated with abundant trees in that ecosystem. As you pointed out, trees seem to also be the object of derision for some who see them as obstacles.
It's the last point that hits home to me personally in my relationship with my father-in-law who grew up a poor farmer in central South Dakota. His mentality is that trees are simply in the way of productive crop land and should be removed – from the single oak to miles of hedgerow. When he stays with us, he has commented to my wife that the trees I am letting grow in our pasture should be removed.
Shade for livestock is an important reason to allow a limited number of trees to grow in pasture. However, trees also act as a kind of mineral accumulator. With a deeper root network and a large rhizosphere (and all the soil food web that comes with that), trees can access minerals and nutrients deeper in the soil than most pasture forage and bring them up and push them into the leaves. These leaves are browsed by many species of livestock and thus improve animal health. The leaves also fall and decompose on the surface and distribute these valuable nutrients making them more available to the forage nearby.
But, most importantly in my opinion, is that trees are part of God’s design for His creation. We are to view them as part of His provision but within His plan of stewardship, not our own. Like any other part of God’s creation, we should, we must, see them in this light. God provides for us in many ways. Trees fall into that provision. But, do we approach them with appropriate reverence as an integrated part of God’s design? Do we fully understand what it means when we remove any linked component of creation for our own felt needs? My observation, and a point you made well, is that most of us do not see a tree the way we should.
Very much agree with your thoughts and observations Dan. It is sad that over here in the UK in the 60s-70s the government had a policy of paying farmers to remove (grubbing out) hedgerows to create larger fields. Thousands of kilometres were destroyed. Conversely now the government pays for protection of hedgerows and incentivises their creation in the landscape!
You might enjoy this article on the importance of trees in the Bible https://theopolisinstitute.com/arboreal-theology-trees-in-colossians/