view , it was very nearly impossible to have effected this change without much money . Its revival has enabled them to recognize that the truly valuable things from our past need not all be sacrificed at the altar of modernity . They have come to realize that with some effort and lots of commitment , one can keep much of what is dear to one ’ s heart and pass it along to future generations .
For my parents ’ 33 grandchildren , and innumerable great-grandchildren , the now functioning farm is proof that they come from a long line of substantial and meaningful traditions as well as from a tough line of stubborn and self-reliant people . No doubt , in times of future crisis , this fact alone will provide them with the spirit that they will need to plod on ahead as we have recently seen with the indomitable Ukrainian people whose belief in themselves has been their most important asset . I believe that much of their strength and character comes from their recent farming past in the Ukrainian countryside , the acknowledged breadbasket of Europe . Aside from the fact that our family farm occasionally contributes to my nephews and nieces ’ physical nourishment , I am convinced that its true value lies in its ability to bolster their psychological health and well-being . I dream of the time when our old family farm , now located beside a partially ravaged landscape that mirrors the ruin which human beings have spread across much of the world , can serve as a model for the rehabilitation of the earth . Indeed , we need many such places . I would also hope that it could become a place where people come to experience the life force that in so many other places has been conveniently snubbed , paved over or destroyed .
I dream too , that this place can one day become so dazzling in its beauty and connection to nature — conditions opportune for the unfoldment of meaningful dialog and association — that after a visit or stay , people will be moved to want to consecrate themselves to the protection and furthering of Life while there is yet time and hope for the rehabilitation of our planetary home .
Alejandro López is a farmer , writer , photographer and experiential educator from northern New Mexico . He is author of Hispanic Fork Arts and the Environment - A Río Grande Approach , a K-12 curriculum which explores the food ways of his ethnic community among other essential , survival practices .
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