Going to Seed: Essays on Idleness, Nature, and Sustainable Work

by Kate J. Neville

An abandoned place, a disheveled person, a shabby or deteriorating we describe such ruin colloquially as “going to seed.” But gardeners will going to seed as idle? No, plants are sending out compressed packets filled with the energy needed to sow new life. A pause from flowering gives a chance for the seeds to form. In a time of urgent environmental change, of pressing social injustice, and of ever-advancing technologies and global connections, we often respond with acceleration―a speeding up and scaling up of our strategies to counter the damage and destruction around us. But what if we take the seeds as a starting what might we learn about work, sustainability, and relationships on this beleaguered planet if we slowed down, stepped back, and held off? Going to Seed explores questions of idleness, considering the labour both of humans and of the myriad other inhabitants of the world. Drawing on science, literature, poetry, and personal observation, these winding and sometimes playful essays pay attention to the exertions and activities of the other-than-human lives that are usually excluded from our built and settled spaces, asking whose work and what kinds of work might be needed for a more just future for all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

224 pages, Paperback

Published May 15, 2024

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

We must learn to slow down from nature. If we don’t, what’s the point?

How did the book make me feel/think?

The author’s raw, emotional journey shared in “Going to Seed “struck a chord with me, mirroring my own struggles and fears amidst job loss and uncertainty. It underscored the importance of compassion and empathy towards others, particularly society’s most vulnerable.

Kate J. Neville emphasizes learning from nature and the benefits of idleness, challenging the stereotype equating idleness with laziness. She critiques the relentless pace driven by greed and the quest for power, which keeps humanity on a relentless march to exhaustion.

Neville suggests in our rush, we lose the ability to pause and enjoy simple pleasures—the kind late-stage capitalism overlooks because it requires us to remain at our breaking point, without time to breathe or contemplate what truly matters.

Asking whether this relentless pace can be halted seems futile, but without attempting to change, what quality of life are we ensuring for our future, and how long can we maintain it?

Idleness offers not laziness but a moment to recharge and reflect on what is truly important.

While I remain optimistic on a personal level, I am less so globally due to the deep entrenchment of capitalistic drives. We owe it to future generations—and to Gaia herself—to try and slow down, however daunting that may seem.

At the pandemic’s outset, I lost my job to someone younger and less costly, a change that brought both economic hardship and emotional strain. Yet, this loss also provided a chance to reassess my values and view the world more compassionately.

Recently, I turned down a demanding job offer that at 64 would have required me to work over 12 hours a day. This reflection made me realize accepting the position would not mean living but simply surviving as another cog in the corporate machine until an untimely end.

This is the impact that “Going to Seed” had on me.

WRITTEN: 6 May 2024

[Nicole Bergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gave me a lot to think about, in the best way. It got off to a slower start than some of the books I’ve read lately, so for a minute, I was thinking that I wanted it to pick up the pace, but actually, it was exactly the pace it needed to be. It’s a collection of essays that wonders about a variety of topics from environmentalism to economics through the lens of idleness and leisure vs productivity and what that might mean for our future on this funny little planet.

[J’aime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Academic and poetic. Grounding and slow. Reminds me I want to slow down, get outside more, meander and wander timelessly.

I may need a second read to fully soak up all the insights in this book. A book that requires focus and thought (and sometimes felt too smart for me).

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wise, erudite, elegant, and thought-provoking. Fellow admirers of Rebecca Solnit will find much to love here.

[Peter Herrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are all just dust in the wind.