The farmer-philosopher didn’t believe in religious practices, meditation, yoga, or required reading. He didn’t believe in books, not even his own. ‘ I think people would be better off without words altogether , ’he wrote in one of them. He didn’t see any purpose in modern science, apart from showing how small human knowledge really is. His daily... See more

Fukuoka once wrote:

I do not particularly like the word “work”. Human beings are the only animals who have to work. Other animals make their livings by living, but people work like crazy, thinking that they have to in order to stay alive. The bigger the job, the greater the challenge, the more wonderful they think it is. It would be good to give up

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The first thing he did when he returned to the land he grew up in was to stop pruning the citrus trees. The next year most of the trees died. But instead of seeing this as a failure, he realised he had learned something important. If trees or plants have been controlled by people, you cannot then just abandon them and expect them to thrive. It... See more

Masanobu Fukuoka, was a farmer who trained as a microbiologist and plant pathologist. He worked at the Agricultural Customs Office in Yokohama, enjoying his laboratory work, until at the age of 25 a life–changing experience made him decide to abandon science and city life. He almost died after being struck with acute pneumonia and when he came out... See more

Doing nothing isn’t as easy as it sounds. And it doesn’t really mean doing nothing. You only do nothing when you are dead. Until then, at least you breathe. Your blood flows through your veins. Your hair grows. You shed your skin. You see, you hear, you smell. You think. You dream. You empty your mind and you fill it up again. You make space. And... See more