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1 | What Gardening Has Taught Me About Civic Responsibility | Ny Zavatra Nampianarin'ny Fikarakaràna Zaridaina Ahy Momba Ny Andraikitry Ny Olom-pirenena Vanona |
2 | A tropical garden in Trinidad and Tobago; photo used with permission. | Zaridaina trôpikaly any Trinidad sy Tobago; sary nampiasaina teo ambany fahazoan-dàlana. |
3 | When I garden, I think. | Rehefa mikarakara zaridaina aho, dia mieritreritra. |
4 | Surrounded by the stillness of nature, my mind can either be attuned to the present moment, completely engrossed in my task, or it can wander - and these days, it's been taking long, meandering strolls as I consider the state of my country. | Na mifantoka amin'ny zava-misy ankehitriny ny eritreritro, na mivenjivenjy raha voahodidin'ny fahanginan'ny zavaboary - ary naharitra elaela izany tato ho ato, ireo fandehandehanana miolakolaka, raha toa ka mandinika ny toerana misy ny fireneko aho. |
5 | Spending time in my garden this past weekend, I felt elated to be outside, digging in the dirt, marveling at the elemental feel of the earth on my hands - at first. | Rehefa nandany andro tao an-jaridaiko ao ny herinandro lasa teo, toa tsaroaka ho naniry elatra aho teo am-pieritreretana ny hivoaka any ivelany, hangady tany, hitolagaga manoloana ny fahatsapana fototry ny tany eo amin'ny tànako - amin'ny voalohany. |
6 | Not even the rain could chase me indoors. | Na ny orana aza tsy hampihemotra ahy hiditra ny trano. |
7 | Mixed with the aroma of the ripening mangoes and cocoa pods on the nearby trees, it smelled like home. | Afangaro amin'ny fofona manitr'ireo manga matoy sy ireo voanà kakaô eo amin'ireo hazo manodidina, dia toy ny any an-tranoko aho. |
8 | But as the weeding grew more monotonous, I started to think about other things: escalating crime, systemic corruption, a parallel economy allegedly built on the illicit drug and arms trade. | Saingy rehefa lasa niha-nankaleo ny fanalàna ireo ahidratsy, dia nanomboka nieritreritra momba ireo zavatra hafa aho: ny heloka mihamitombo, ny kolikoly mandeha ho azy, ny asa fihariana an-jorony izay araka ny fantatra dia mijoro eo ambonin'ny fivarotana zava-mahadomelina tsy ara-dalàna sy ny fivarotana fitaovam-piadiana. |
9 | As my bare hands struggled to free the grass from the insidious weeds that were slowly strangling it, the metaphor could not be more clear. | Raha mihetsika mafy ireto tànako mba hialàn'ireo ahidratsy manempotra moramora ny bozaka, tsy hazava nòho ity ilay fanoharana. |
10 | I've learned a lot of things by puttering about in my garden, but I never thought how to be a good citizen would be one of them. | Nianatra zavatra maro aho tamin'ny alàlan'ny fikarakarako ny zaridainako, saingy tsy nieritreritra mihitsy aho fa ho isan'izany ny fomba maha-olom-pirenena vanona. |
11 | Here are a few of the seeds that germinated in my civic consciousness. | Ireto misy vitsivitsy avy amin'ireo voa nitsimoka tanatin'ny feon'ny fieritreretana maha-olom-pirenena ahy. |
12 | You have to take ownership. | Tsy maintsy mandray andraikitra ianao. |
13 | In the same way that it's my garden, it's my country. | Tahaka ny hoe zaridainako io, fireneko ihany koa ity. |
14 | I used to walk around my yard, see work that needed to be done, and make excuses for why I couldn't actually do it: I didn't have time, I was too tired, it wasn't my top priority. | Fanaoko ny mandehandeha manodidina ny tokontaniko, mijery ireo asa tokony hatao, sy mitady alaolana ny amin'ny tsy ahafahako manao izany: Tsy nisy fotoana aho, reraka loatra, tsy laharam-pahamehana ho ahy izany. |
15 | The unsurprising result was that the weeds spread - I lost nearly my entire back lawn to crabgrass and was miserable about it. | Ny vokatra, izay tsy nahagaga, dia ny fihanak'ireo ahidratsy - saika nafoiko avokoa ho an'ny ahidratsy ny bozako ao ambadiky ny trano ary ontsa aho noho izany. |
16 | But had I not initially taken the position that my garden was everyone else's responsibility - the unreliable gardener, the busy husband - it would not have got so out of hand. | Kanefa raha tsy nihevitra aho voalohany indrindra fa andraikitry ny hafa rehetra ny zaridainako - ilay mpikarakara zaridaina tsy azo itokisana, ilay vady be herehana - dia tsy hibolila toy izao izany. |
17 | The grass isn't always greener. | Tsy mihamaitso hatrany ny bozaka. |
18 | There's a lot that's wrong with Trinidad and Tobago, but there's also a lot that's right and beautiful and uplifting. | Be dia be ny zavatra tsy mandeha amin'ny laoniny aty Trinidad sy Tobago, saingy misy maro ihany koa anefa ireo marina sy tsara ary manainga fanahy. |
19 | Sometimes, the decision to move to another patch of lawn is the right thing, and sometimes, you just need to stay and battle the weeds, because after all, they're yours. | Indraindray, ny fikisahana mankany aminà vondrom-bozaka iray hafa no fanapahan-kevitra mety, ary indraindray, mila mijanona miady amin'ireo ahidratsy fotsiny ianao, satria tokoa, anao ireo. |
20 | You had something to do with them taking root; you should have something to do with getting them out. | Nandray anjara tamin'ny fitomboan'ny fakany ianao; noho izany dia tokony andray anjara amin'ny fanalàna azy ireo ihany koa. |
21 | You've got to do the work. | Mila manatanteraka ny asa ianao. |
22 | No way around it, you must tackle the backbreaking, finger-cramping, skin-itching, uncomfortable work. | Tsy afaka ialàna izany, tsy maintsy miaritra ny havizanana, ny ngolin'ny tànana, ny hidihidin'ny hoditra, ny asa tsy ahazoana aina. |
23 | It's going to be frustrating, feel never-ending, and you're going to be convinced that you're getting nowhere. | Hanorisory izany, tahaka ny tsy hisy farany, ary ho resy lahatra ianao fa toa tsy mizotra mankaiza. |
24 | But the body pain is eventually going to feel like you laboured well for something important, like the first bloom of a rare flower. | Saingy hivadika ho fahatsapana ny asa tsara vitanao ho anà zavatra tena manan-danja izany hirifiry izany, tahaka ny voninkazo tsy fahita izay mamelana voalohany indrindra. |
25 | Change isn't going to happen overnight. | Tsy hiseho eo nóho eo ny fiovàna. |
26 | Despite the jaw-dropping transformations that take place in thirty minute time slots on the home and garden networks, these kind of transitions will probably move at the pace of molasses through a sieve - in winter. | Na eo aza ireo fiovàna mampidonàka izay miseho anatin'ireo telopolo minitra iasàna any an-trano na any an-jaridaina, dia tena hiadam-piseho tokoa ireny karazam-piovàna ireny - mandritra ny ririnina. |
27 | In the same way that it takes time to rid a garden of weeds or pests, bringing good governance to a corruption-riddled system will be a long, hard path to walk. | Tahaka ny mahaela ny fanaisorana ireo ahidratsy na ireo zavatra mety hanimba, dia ho làlan-davitra sy sarotra ihany koa ny fitondrana fahaiza-mitantana anatinà rafitra mifototra amin'ny kolikoly. |
28 | That rare blossom is going to seem a long way off, but when it finally appears, it will be all the more captivating. | Toa lavitra izany famony tsy fahita firy izany, saingy rehefa iny izy fa mipoitra, dia tena hisarika maso tanteraka. |
29 | You may not see the fruits of your labour. | Mety tsy hahita ireo vokatry ny asanao ianao. |
30 | There's a Greek proverb that says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” | Misy ohapitenenana Grika izay manao hoe, “Mivoatra tsara ny fiarahamonina rehefa mamboly hazo ireo Ntaolo, na dia fantany aza fa tsy hialokaloka eo ambaniny mihitsy izy ireo.” |
31 | I'm fine with that. | Tsy mampaninona ahy izany. |
32 | I think most people want their children to inherit a better country than we live in now. | Heveriko fa ny ankamaroan'ny vahoaka dia te-hahita ireo zanany handova firenena tsara kokoa nóho izay iainantsika amin'izao fotoana. |
33 | You don't let anything slide. | Aza misy avela handalo anoloanao na inona na inona. |
34 | Trinidadians have a saying: “Give them an inch and they take a yard.” | Manana ity ohapitenenana ity ireo Trinidadiana: “Omeo iray santimetatra izy ireo ary haka iray metatra.” |
35 | Tenacious weeds, like law breaking members of society, are just looking for a loophole to get themselves established. | Mitady banga fotsiny ireo ahidratsy, sahala amin'ireo olon'ny fiarahamonina mpandika lalàna, mba hitoerany. |
36 | As an electorate, we must pay attention: be vigilant about attacks on our democracy, make our voices heard on matters of policy and good governance and have systems in place to hold our public officials to account should they ever forget that they are there to serve the common good and not a personal one. | Amin'ny maha-olom-pirenena mpifidy antsika, mila manara-maso isika: mailo amin'ireo fanimbazimbana ny demôkrasiantsika, mampandre ny feontsika eo amin'ny lafiny politika sy fahaiza-mitantana ary manana rafitra efa mipetraka mba hampandraisana andraikitra ireo mpitondra antsika raha sanatria adinon'izy ireo fa natao hanompo ny tombontsoa iombonana izy ireo, fa tsy ny an'olon-tokana. |
37 | You must keep the big picture in mind. | Tsy maintsy ataonao an-tsaina lalandava ny zava-misy amin'ny ankapobeny. |
38 | Gardening can be very detail oriented, but it's also about overall effect - and that can't be achieved without a strong community. | Mety ho tena mifototra amin'ny antsipiriany ny asa fikarakaràna zaridaina, kanefa miandrandra vokatra amin'ny ankapobeny izany - ary tsy ho vita raha tsy misy vondrom-piarahamonina miray hina. |
39 | Diversity living in harmony is the stuff beautiful gardens - and strong societies - are made of. | Ireo zavatra maro karazana miara miaina no hanamboarana ireo zaridaina tsara tarehy - sy ireo fiarahamonina mafy orina. |
40 | Everyone's got to pitch in. | Mila mandray ny anjara tandrify azy ny rehetra. |
41 | I once read an article about a small circle of gardeners who pooled their resources in the absence of reliable labour and took turns tending each other's yards every weekend. | Indray andro aho dia namaky lahatsoratra iray momba ny vondrona kely iray hiarahan'ireo mpikarakara zaridaina izay nampivondrona ny fananan'izy ireo noho ny tsy fisian'asa mitombina, ka ifampikarakaran'izy ireo ny zaridainany avy isan-kerinandro. |
42 | Their gardens and their friendships thrived, all because they created a strong and functional community. | Niroborobo sy nitombo ny zaridainan'izy ireo sy ny finamanany, izany rehetra izany dia noho ny famoronan'izy ireo vondrom-piarahamonina miray hina sy mandaitra. |
43 | In the same way, we must all do what we can, no matter how small. | Tahaka izany, tsy maintsy manao izay vitantsika isika rehetra, na inona na inona hakelezan'izany. |
44 | Can we write a blog post or a letter to the editor? | Afaka manoratra lahatsoratra anaty bilaogy na taratasy ho an'ny tonian-dahatsoratra ve isika? |
45 | Can we refuse to rationalise bribe-paying as the cost of doing business? | Afaka mandà ny fanekena ny fanaovana kolikoly ho antoky ny fandraharahana ve isika? |
46 | Can we attend a march, sign a petition, be an activist? | Afaka manatrika fidinana an-dalam-be, manasonia ireny fanangonan-tsonia ireny, na koa mirotsaka ho mafana fo mpikatroka ve isika? |
47 | As Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai said in her poignant piece I will be a hummingbird, we can all do something. | Tahaka ny voalazan'ilay Keniana mpahay tontolo iainana Wangari Maathai tanatin'ny lahatsoratra mandona nosoratany, “I will be a hummingbird” (Ho lasa Tsikiririoka aho), afaka manao zavatra isika rehetra. |
48 | And each small effort will add up to something much bigger, something that can really make a difference. | Ary hifanampy hanome zavatra iray lehibe kokoa ireo ezaka kely tsirairay ireo, zavatra iray izay tena hitondra fanovàna tokoa. |