But the phrase has an alternative ending, which has been attributed to Ben Franklin. Whether or not that attribution is correct is up for debate, although it’s cooler to say that he came up with it.

Jack of all trades, master of one.

At the end of our last email, I alluded to the idea that the philosophy of The Good Ground pertains to more than just farming, it relates to life in general. What might that look like?

At The Good Ground, we are aiming to establish on-farm diversity. But it’s not a chaotic-no-rhyme-or-reason-hey-look-something-shiny type of diversity. It’s diversity with a purpose, all working in a more-or-less unified manner towards an end: that of long-term soil, plant, animal, and human health.

This flies in the face of contemporary culture. Today’s culture promotes specialization: post-secondary education in a specialized field is not only an option, but an assumption, and often a necessity to get a job that offers a living wage.

At the same time, this push for specialization is nested inside a distraction economy. Loads of money is made simply by grabbing your attention - in a totally chaotic-no-ryhme-or-reason-hey-look-something-shiny kind of way. Giant billboards, internet ads, five second commercials that break into your Netflix or YouTube videos, social media… even the continual availability of global news that seems so important but too often has no impact on your life.

So, we have a culture of distraction that almost forces you to complete specialization in your area of vocation.

Is there an alternate path? Could you curate your diversity of experiences and training to all build in one beneficial direction?

Let’s get back to the phrase: jack of all trades, master of one.

Or maybe even better: jack of all trades, to become a master of one.

It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but it gives an entirely different impression. In a way, a Renaissance man. Someone who knows a little about a lot of things, not in a chaotic-no-rhyme-or-reason-hey-look-something-shiny type of way, but in a way where everything works together to become more resilient, fruitful, and healthy.

With these blog posts you can expect “lifestyle” content. Not prompting a type of “country” lifestyle (just another distraction), but rather promoting a holistic lifestyle, applicable to your context. We might touch on food, health, traditional skills, self-improvement, or frankly, whatever we feel like writing about that month.

Because life is more than farming. At least, that’s what some people say.

(I would be remiss to completely ignore the religious connotations at the end of the last email. But that’s a topic for another discussion.)

-Mike

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