“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an invisible orchard”; I quote an old Welsh proverb that we often repeat in the Masseria Redenta (Italy) farm to try to remind ourselves about the biological potential of a seed. We are constantly amazed about the marvel of such a small organism, which carries within itself the secret of life. In this new spring that now seems to follow the path of the one preceding it last year, made of isolation and social deprivation, we thought at Masseria Redenta to sprout new seeds to create new ideas. Not being able to do any teaching in our premises, we decided to resume our contacts with schools and propose a laboratory on seeds, creating an online laboratory. But this time, in addition to surprise and inform the young people involved, we also let ourselves be carried away. With amazement, we observed the seeds in the hands of the children looking like little treasures, enclosed between small uncertain and delicate fingers. So were mine when I collected purslane seeds, opening those capsules that looked like elf hats and, while they released dozens of seeds, the sensation was to have opened a huge case of golden coins … From the seed life is born!
Behind a seed apparent immobility, there hides an extremely sophisticated and organized organism, capable of resisting environmental conditions that are sometimes very difficult. It does so by ingeniously dispersing itself into the environment until it finds a fertile corner and can unleash incredible energy during germination. And so it is, in the seed there is the tallest tree without anyone knowing it yet, not even the tree itself. I like to think that the people following our laboratory have fantasized about seeing the seeds in their hands. I asked them if they felt ready for that responsibility, to take care of the seeds; and they, with big eyes and with the seriousness that no head of state imagines to have, answered: “Yes!” with that nod typical of those who have made an important decision. And with that, they kept on keeping, holding their breath, that seed in their hands. The direct relationship and experience is not comparable to a cold online lesson, but having brought them a living organism like a seed and letting them fantasize about the possible invisible gardens they had in their hands, gives me hope that sooner or later a new spring will sprout, and that we will take back what we have lost with a new and beautiful wisdom.
