Lessons from a Garden

The other day, I watched my father teach my son how to prune vines in the garden. As he explained why cutting certain branches allows the plant to thrive, I had a sudden realization: this simple moment of hands-on learning contained more wisdom than most of what happens in modern classrooms.

It reminded me of the yellow thread in my novel Threads for Life, which symbolizes the importance of equipping the younger generation with life’s essentials through the wisdom of those who came before us.

If we look back at how humans have actually learned throughout history, it rarely happened in sterile rows of desks. Children learned by being outdoors, by observing adults, by touching real things, and by playing. And play isn’t just a nice break from learning, it’s essential to how brains develop.

Every teacher should understand how the human brain actually grows. It’s an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues well into adulthood. At its core, brain development happens through the constant dance between genes and environment. Our genetic blueprint provides the foundation, but experiences shape how that blueprint expresses itself.

So, what conditions do children actually need for healthy development? The answer lies in relationships, interaction, play, spontaneity, and creativity. When children are allowed to be curious which is their natural state, they become hungry to learn. They seek out facts because they want to understand the world, not because they’re preparing for a test. Are teachers out there equipped to nurture that curiosity?

A child who plays freely will ask questions. A child who is curious will ask questions. A child who asks questions will find answers. The facts follow naturally.

Instead, we’ve created something else entirely. We’re raising generations of consumers. Our culture pushes endless useless products, wrapped in the illusion that having more means living better. We’ve become numb, empty consumers, and society has figured out that keeping us distracted keeps our spiritual selves dormant.

Globalization hasn’t connected us. It has turned humans into herds. Competition drives profits at any cost. Corporations sit at the top while humanity scrapes along the bottom. We’ve made profit more valuable than people more important than sharing, conserving, evolving, and growing both as individuals and as a society.

The result? We’ve created people who don’t like who they are. Walk through any city, any crowd, and you’ll feel it: a universal emptiness. We’ve traded meaningful learning for the mass production of test-takers. And somewhere along the way, we forgot that the garden with all its messiness, patience, and natural wisdom might have been the best classroom all along.

So, here’s my message to all teachers out there: whatever system of education you are part of, there is always room to create a spark. Bring joyfulness into your classroom. Nurture creativity, motivation, and passion. When teaching kids about different kinds of tree leaves, don’t rely on AI, AR, or VR. Just let them pick leaves and bring them to class.

This is how my father taught my son the difference between a vine leaf and a lemon tree leaf. Sometimes, the most powerful technology is a garden and a willing teacher