A Lesson in Forgetting

One of my reads included a reference to the historical event that we now call The Irish Potato Famine, a ten year period in which hundreds of thousands of people died due to lack of food. Remember 1841-1851 (dates vary among historians).

Potatoes were not native to but were brought from South America to Ireland by Spanish Explorers in the late 1500s. Farming potatoes was not the prime directive of the Armada, but the tuberous crop found its way to the Emerald Isle, nonetheless. Over the course of about 300 years, the Irish population enjoyed potatoes as the main food source. But why did the population of Ireland plummet 20% over that ten year period? How much of that decrease was due to starvation and how much was due to immigration? Out of ignorance and for want of learning, one wonders what people ate before the potato. Did they forget? Did the blight affect more than potatoes so nothing edible would grow? The environment can be harsh but one wonders what they forget.

Ireland became English in 1169 and remained British until 1922. Ireland's independence was not complete 1998--so where was the English? Jonathan Swift criticized England's lack of assistance through this satirical article, "A Modest Proposal." Remember reading that one in school? Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of history is that Swift's article was published in 1729, about 112 years prior, when the Irish were struggling with poverty before the blight blew up from England.

I'm sure there was more to the Potato Famine and I don't intend to be critical, nor take the event lightly. It just made me think.

Some ideas, practices, traditions, skills are worth preserving. Change seems to demand that the old ways are out, there can only be the new (of course, what is new today is obsolete tomorrow). Our HOA neighborhoods forbid keeping farm animals and gardening as a way to preserve the ambiance of a neighborhood. But when an emergency comes and the store shelves are bare even for a couple of days, panic ensues because suddenly (gasp), money buys one nothing because one is not prepared. The other day, the power was out. What did we do? What we did NOT do was get on our phones or watch TV or surf the internet.

The old adage of repeating history is true because we forget. There is little interest in yesterday, but survival depends on it. Traditions are kept for a reason. Skills are valuable. Teach what you know. Don't let the next generation forget lest they starve for lack of knowledge.

A couple weeks ago, I planted a small fall garden. It takes a handful of seconds to drop items in a compost pile and about as many minutes to turn it from time to time. Preparing ground or even pots takes less time than watching a movie. It took less than two hours to turn the soil with hand tools, plant seeds, and water. I got a good workout, sun, fresh air and before long, we will be freezing and eating fall vegetables that I purchased with two dollars worth of seeds.

Having said that, am I surprised when my grandkids show disinterest when I show them the garden?