Myth

“At the heart of every country, city, or counter-cultural movement, lies a mythical structure. It is the belief system that brings shade and dimension to what the mind perceives. Whether a person subscribes to the gospel of science, religion, or the self, we all have a story that helps make sense of our place in the world. While literature, film, and music are obvious mediums for creating narrative; art, fashion, and food also possess the ability to weave tales. The gravitational pull of Manhattan owes its allure to a fading mirage. Though ‘the American Dream’ is not what it used to be, New York City is still a stronghold of youth and ambition.”  Matthew Benson: The Seductive Farmer

“I have become desensitized to many things: noise, garbage, the forced intimacy of small spaces. I don’t even see the graffiti. Strangers will attempt to bump into me on a daily basis and so I have known the pedestrian’s equivalent to road rage. It’s like dodge-ball, but with people. There has never been a man so important as a New Yorker heading towards a fixed destination, and to impede that journey would be like rattling the cage of a dangerous animal. You just wouldn’t do it, so long as you intend to keep your hands. But we New Yorkers are not rude, just doing the best we can in a system that is highly pressurized. Rude implies lack of sophistication, education, and a sense of decorum, but being stressed out, that is a ‘rite of passage.’ It says that one is on the road to success. I have always accepted that tension is a consequence of being alive, and so I never developed a strategy for dealing with it, that is until it nearly did me in.” The Life Experiment

“The current mythology of Stonegate Farms represents the future and history of food. Matthew’s creativity has seeded a way of life that is new and timeless, that honors historical traditions and a new paradigm. It also feeds its farmers, in both the literal and figurative sense.”  Matthew Benson: The Seductive Farmer

“The vast majority of history chronicles the experience of women as second class citizens, beholden to fathers, brothers, and husbands, for a secure place in the world. Certain mythologies even promote the idea that we are weak of character and virtue. For centuries, we have been mere pawns, both reviled and revered for what we are supposed to represent.”  Beacon’s Return Part II: Siren’s Calling

“The more I sat in Mrs. Rabin’s class, the more I learned to draw universal lessons from even the most unexpected places. It seemed almost magical how everything Mrs. Rabin taught us had a subtle way of lending further insight into what we had previously read. Mrs. Rabin did not use our class time to teach us about literature; instead, she used literature to teach us about life.”  Sandra Rabin: The Mentor is In