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Harmony of Interests

from Crossing Paths with Johnny Appleseed by Jim Novak

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TRACK NINETEEN: Harmony of Interests

So, what do we make of Chapman? As in Lin-Manual Miranda’s observation, what do we see in Chapman’s generation that illuminates the sins, paradoxes and falling short of our own? We know this much:

Chapman made a career of planting nurseries shrewdly in wild and secluded places, anticipating that development and future settlement would be coming soon. He also acted on his spiritual intuition, that God and nature were one, and that his role was to take every opportunity to grow the things that take time: not just apple trees, but also community inclusiveness, and self-support.

Like Lincoln, he cultivated what some called the three FRUITS of humanity, namely humility, attention, and wonder. But all the while, he said simply, “I am by occupation a gatherer and planter of apple seeds.” His was a type of heroism based on sustained effort in pursuit of ideals – in particular, ideals of stewardship. He was an unconventional person, but he sought what Washington and other Founders called the HARMONY OF INTERESTS. In an era of frontier tall tales and outlandish and showy embellishments, he looked beyond the narrow scope of daily life. An eccentric dreamer, he was probably disturbing to some, because he could demonstrate that collective resources, distributed widely, were the best part of his charmed life. His was certainly a life that supported the best efforts of others on the frontier, and upheld the dignity of the three races. It was not the Garden of Eden, but it was the front gate.

In dress and in temperament, the scraggly Mister Chapman/ Johnny Appleseed would be quite the bohemian in our world today, yet in many ways modern and “green.” He had a sense of “malice toward none and charity toward all,” as Lincoln would put it, that would serve us well right now, as we try to bind up modern divisions. And he had a preference for structural change, that is the establishment of nurseries and the planting of trees, that appeal to those who would prefer to get past the moralizing and enact specific proposals like a Civilian Climate Corps and a Green New Deal.

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from Crossing Paths with Johnny Appleseed, released April 20, 2021

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Jim Novak Ann Arbor, Michigan

Now work-shopping these Appleseed songs and stories into a one-man show. Singer-songwriter from Ann Arbor. Host of “Songwriters Open Mic” for over 25 years. Producer and videographer of half-hour TV programs, “Songwriters Open Mic Ann Arbor,” broadcast weekly from1996 to present (recent episodes on youtube). Former college teacher, program advisor, instructional designer for adult learners. ... more

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