We work together daily around the farm and spend much of that time in rapt discussion about the books we are reading, or films we watch, and talk in depth about the ideas that concern him.

Most of it is Socratic in nature for I had always learned best by being challenged to formulate my own understanding of the world rather than as a passive receptacle of random facts. This past month we have been exploring the writings of Thoreau and trying to integrate understand his philosophical examination of self-reliance as it relates to our own lifestyle.

He sees the connections and understands the radical nature of his decision to walk away from society- one in ascendance rather than decline- but cannot fully see the similarity to his place in the world. So we select certain passages and try to find examples of those ideas in our daily life. While I wrote the following essay, the quotes that accompany it were chosen by him to accompany each passage. I'd give him an A.