Weeds are considered a blight, a nuisance, and an invasive presence by most avid gardeners and farmers. They are unintended and uninvited, and the question is, how does one get rid of them? Naturally, we go to lengths to eradicate the nuisance.
In the eighteenth century in France, some women farmers had the most productive herd of dairy cows in their region. Unfortunately, the women were not fortunate enough to procure dedicated pastures and to feed their herd, and they would gather roadside grass for their cows. The grass comprised a variety, including what farmers would consider a weed. Nevertheless, other farmers took note of the productive herd. Some bought the women’s calves, believing they were purchasing a superior animal, to discover soon that once in their pastures, they were producing the same amount as their existing herd.
The simple untended roadside grass left to grow in its diversity provided a far greater level of nutrients over the curated pastures constantly being fed off and replanted with a single variety, which often requires more chemicals to sustain the single varietal. While on the roadside, the plants that naturally thrive in those conditions prosper. The combination of plants that grow naturally complements each other and is self-sustaining. As a result, the cows were able to choose what they needed.
How this mirrors our lives. We want to create controlled and manufactured environments since we believe people will prosper better with the one supposed prime factor. So we assemble homogenous teams with the supposed skills and talents we think are most valued—people who are alike, think alike, and behave alike. Then, in many instances, we spend vast amounts of resources trying to make them work together efficiently.
Yet, in reality, variety is what truly pushes us to be the best. Therefore, we should embrace diversity in all its facets.
