Gardening as a Practical Step Toward Independence
I am loving the organic “Pizza” garden that now flourishes outside my friend’s apartment – 5 varieties of heirloom tomatoes (Abe Lincoln, Brandy Wine, Money Maker, Black Krim from Russia and a variety from Costa Rica), 5 varieties of hot and sweet peppers (Cayenne, Habanero, Italian Pepperecinni, and a black and yellow kind), 8 varieties of basil, including Thai, lemon, cinnamon, Italian, a chocolate mint, stevia, zataar, oregano, cilantro, epazote, sorrel, and sunflowers. It’s just awesome!
Independence From Artificial Food and Passive Habits
Gardening is something we all should do because it builds independence in a very practical way: you participate in producing your own food and you reconnect to your source. Gardening is also a daily reminder that life responds to attention, patience, and responsibility—qualities that strengthen personal independence beyond the garden. As children, we loved to play in the soil, explore, and create. Somehow, along the way of adulthood, we forgot how important that was to us. We disconnected and began outsourcing our choices—what we eat, what we buy, and what we value—to advertising, trends, and constant media messaging. One small act of independence is to consciously return to direct experience (like growing something) instead of living only through what we are sold. It is such a shame to see the sad and unhealthy faces of Americans eating at places like McDonald’s and shopping at grocery stores filled with genetically-engineered “plastic-like” fruits and vegetables. When convenience and marketing drive our diets, we trade away a measure of independence—because our energy, mood, and health become dependent on systems that profit from chronic illness. No wonder the hospitals and pharmaceuticals thrive.es. No wonder the hospitals and pharmaceuticals thrive.
Independence as Freedom of Will (Viktor Frankl)
The good news is that despite all the artificiality and apparent hopelessness, we still have one thing that can never be taken away—our individuality and free choice. That is the core of independence: the ability to make a deliberate decision even when conditions are imperfect. We can always change things around and improve our situation, despite the circumstances, starting with small choices that add up over time. We can always change things around and improve our situation, despite the circumstances. Look at the example of world-renowned psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl (author of the classic bestseller, Man’s Search for Meaning). Dr. Frankl, a Nazi concentration camp survivor, is perhaps best known for practicing and espousing “freedom of will,” especially in terms of one’s choice of attitude, as a point of departure on the path to meaning. In Dr. Frankl’s own words, “Everything can be taken from a man but–the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.” In other words, in all situations, no matter how desperate they may appear or actually be, you always have the ultimate freedom to choose your attitude. That independence, albeit minute, can never be taken away.
A Simple Independence Exercise: List Ten Positives
Therefore, whenever we confront a situation that is stressful, negative, or somehow challenging, use your free will to list ten positive things that are or could be associated with (or could result from) your circumstance. This is a practical independence skill: instead of letting circumstances control your outlook, you practice directing attention toward options, meaning, and next steps you can choose. Expand your imagination and suspend judgment, listing whatever comes to mind, no matter how crazy or unrealistic your thoughts may seem at the time. Be free to determine or define what positive means to you, because independence includes the right to define your own standards and values. If needed, recruit family, friends, colleagues, co-workers, etc, to help you with your list—borrowing perspective without giving away your power to choose. It is a great exercise and I guarantee it will change your entire attitude on life and show you possibilities that you had not noticed before.
How Gardening Supports Independence in Daily Life
Gardening is just one way that we can reconnect to our source and get back to the basics of our unique and individual human existence—and it can be a hands-on practice of independence. Try it and see how your entire attitude will change as you rely more on your own effort and attention. At the very least you will start to eat more healthfully, and that alone can purify the body and clean the mind of the artificial bonds and routines that we allow to control us.
FAQ
Q: What does independence mean in this post?
A: Independence here means keeping your individuality and free choice even when circumstances are difficult. It’s not limited to money or politics; it includes the inner freedom Viktor Frankl describes—the ability to choose your attitude and responses. The post presents gardening as a practical way to practice that independence through daily choices and self-reliance.
Q: How can gardening increase personal independence?
A: Gardening builds independence by reconnecting you to food production and reducing reliance on highly processed, heavily marketed options. It also trains patience, responsibility, and consistent effort—habits that reinforce self-direction. In the post’s framing, gardening becomes a “back to basics” practice that can shift your attitude and support healthier decisions.
Q: What is the “ten positive things” exercise and how does it relate to independence?
A: The exercise is to list ten positive things that are or could be associated with a stressful or negative circumstance. Its link to independence is mental agency: instead of letting the situation dictate your mindset, you deliberately choose where to place attention and what possibilities to consider. It’s a repeatable way to practice freedom of will.
Q: How does Viktor Frankl’s idea connect to independence in everyday life?
A: Frankl’s “freedom of will” emphasizes that even when you can’t control conditions, you can still choose your attitude. That choice is a form of independence that cannot be taken away. Applied to everyday life, it supports resilience: you act from intention rather than from helplessness, stress, or external pressures.
Q: Is the post saying fast food and grocery stores take away independence?
A: The post argues that when convenience, media influence, and artificial food systems dominate our habits, we can become more dependent—on marketing-driven choices and on systems that profit when health declines. The proposed alternative is reclaiming independence through conscious choices, including gardening and healthier eating that supports clarity and well-being.
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