At some point in the film Midnight Cowboy, Dustin Hoffman's character Ratso Rizzo tells his new found friend, the eponymous cowboy played by Jon Voigt that all you need for a healthy life is oranges and sunshine, which later precipitates their relocating to the sunshine state of Florida where orange groves grow in abundance.
It has always stuck with me, this idea of oranges and sunshine. In terms of simplicity and in terms of health. To be sure, we all need a little more than mere citrus and sun, but sometimes I wonder if we have been unnecessarily weaned as a species, especially since the advent of capitalism, on over-consuming and cherishing that which we just do not need.
I am also concerned, when I buy my lemons, at how far they have actually travelled to get here, and at how large and unpalatable that carbon footprint actually is. If you can't grow it, then it seems unfair (or just plain downright silly) to have it flown halfway round the world just for you. This, after all, is my manifesto - DIY - do it yourself : Grow your own food (when you can't forage for it), make your own clothes, build your own nest...
And so, in praise of simplicity, and in praise of the Ratso Rizzos of this world (and the midnight cowboys who eventually dump their stetsons and spurs in the bin for a t-shirt and shorts), a lemon tree at the beginning of what hopefully will turn out to be a long, fruitful, and healthy life...
It took me the best part of 40 years to finally take one of those lemon seeds, remove its slippery armour casing and stick it in a small pot of soil. Now, I am a changed man. Now, I look at all my fruit and veg. (and fellow man) in a different light...
No comments:
Post a Comment