Throughout Andrea Wulf's Founding Gardeners, the theme of "passion" or "hobby" is deeply considered. Especially after reading Chapter Eight with its focus on Thomas Jefferson, the reader comes to realize what a vital element of life gardening was to America's founding fathers.
Excuse me as I don't analyze this chapter very well, but will illuminate the major question I have developed since reading it: is it harder in today's world to have the strong passion (for anything) that our founding fathers had?
The chapter opens with, "Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, feel such relief as I shall on shaking off the shackles of power," claimed the third president of the United States, who had described his final years in office as "the most tedious of my life."
Wulf goes on to describe, as you might imagine, how Jefferson spent every waking moment in his gardens and crop fields immensely enjoying his vast yard. It is outlined how his garden may be the thing Jefferson missed most.
When Jefferson wrote to his daughter about his plans for returning home, he wrote, "we shall properly be devoted to the garden."
So I ask you, imagine you were president of the US today, what would you write home about? What would you be longing for? In more manageable terms, when you have had a rough, horrible day at school with back-to-back exams, it rains on you and you have to wait 30 minutes for your transit, what are you ready to go home and do? Or how about at the end of fall semester, after exams, you are able to go home for the holidays, what are you most looking forward to doing?
Well after a long day for me, I just want to play Candy Crush and catch up on Revenge or Hart of Dixie. I miss my family at home and both at home and here in Auburn, riding my horses is a great way to relieve stress. But for the most part, the world we live in today makes it easy to do whatever we want whenever we want, which totally negates the uniqueness and fondness we might develop for something if we were required to actually miss it.
Today, everything is at our fingertips, between Google search and Netflix, we have become completely impatient and uninterested by anything that might not produce an immediate affect.
Because of this, this generation of Americans is less likely to develop a passion. We are able to do so much, which on one hand is great, but also creates jacks of all traits and masters of none.
Our founding fathers' ability to focus on their one passion, gardening, translated into a focused, patient, goal-driven leader. Their passion for gardening made America what she is today.
How are our leaders today? As a society, we expect immediate results and change. This expectation has caused polarization in our government as no one is able to take the time to understand the other side and take the time for a well thought-out, and deeply consider a plan that is best for everyone.
In the end, there is much to be learned from the men so wise as to be able to create the greatest nation on earth...lets learn from them.
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