A different kind of prosperity

"Natural resources" makes us think of oil, minerals and other valuable commodities. But for many of us, we're surrounded by a wealth of resources that we never even see, let alone benefit from. How do you develop eyes to see resources, and the skills required to unlock their treasures? Take Bryan Whitehead, for example. Bryan lives west of Tokyo. Every spring he plants indigo seeds in the field next to his house. He harvests the leaves over the summer, and uses them to make dye. Six times a year, he breeds silkworms — 5,000 of them at a time — which eat mulberry leaves that Bryan harvests from a field 15 minutes from his house. The silk that he then produces and dyes is absolutely gorgeous.

How did all of that happen? Well, Bryan met a village full of old people. He recounts:

"I was lucky to submerse myself in a village of old folks who had lived self-sufficiently and knew the techniques of silk production and weaving, and who also embodied the lifestyle that was the source of the aesthetics I found so intriguing."

It'd be easy to dismiss what happened to Bryan as inapplicable to "regular folk" who live in suburbs and drive Chevy's. And it's true that Bryan met his village because... well... he chose to move there. But a mindset that sees a resource and says "I'm going to start playing with this until I find the treasure in it" is really the heart of what makes people like Bryan produce wonders from worms. We're just starting to understand some of the treasures buried in our back yard, here at the Wildcat Center. (I can hardly wait to see the first yard of nettle cloth.) Rocks, wood, worms, weeds, trash... What's the key to your treasure? It might be tucked into a drawer of the nice old lady next door. Or maybe there's a book in the library that'll turn the light bulb on for you. Or maybe you're the person who'll find the keys to something wonderful.

Posted by Administrator on Tuesday, July 27, 2010