‘One Must Cultivate One’s Own Garden’…Voltaire

In 1759, Voltaire wrote his most famous novel, Candide, in just three days. It was a satire on the hopes that were pinned to science and technology, which instead of improving the world, he was sure would destroy it by giving more power to tyrants. Better, he said in his parting message, to till our own gardens and leave the rest of the world alone. What an appropriate message that has turned out to be.

I took Voltaire’s advice, and this is the new garden I created during the first year of Covid, transforming an overgrown lot next door full of twelve-foot high castor bean plants, garbage and castoff boulders and leftover construction supplies from surrounding houses into what is a garden in progress. This is the photo I took yesterday through a space in the fence that protects it from further dumping.

Below are “before” and “during” photos. Click to increase size of photos:

But, forgive me, Cee, I just have to show it in color as well!!!! More to come.

For CBWC: Photos and Quotes