If you have not read about Richard’s childhood, please click here and there is a link on that page to bring you back.
As I have mentioned in the previous entry, Richard Nelson started to see visions concerning future buildings in the year of 1965 when he was 14. He saw future buildings in a fascinating dual state: transparent at one time and pure white at another, as if they change appearance on demand and at will.
These visions hunted him deep inside, which set a course of life that was so different and amazing.
Because he loved nature so much, he did not follow his father’s foot steps to be an airplane pilot or mechanic. After high school, he chose to become a gardener instead. So he went to Ontario Agricultural College studying agriculture in 1972.
College life quickly bored him. Worse than that, how animals were treated by us and taught by college to treat them like that truly bothered him. So even though it was a two-year diploma program and he had already finished one year, he wanted to quick. This was certainly not what he wanted. He was more into the natural way of doing things.
You know what? What happened next was simply amazing and had set him free from college!
Turning point in 1973 when Richard was 22
Now It was close to the end of the spring semester. He got a call from his friend.
“Hey Richard, How are you?”
“Hey, buddy! I am glad you called as I get bored here. Where have you been?”
“Richard, listen, this is urgent. I am travelling in Isle de la Madeleine with my wife.”
“Isle de la Madeleine? Wow, that is a beautiful place, lucky to you and your wife!”
“But an odd thing happened yesterday. A doctor appoached me while my wife and I were walking on the main street here in this little town.”
“A doctor?”
“Yes, doctor Labrie.”
“He walked straight to me and ask: ‘Are you a farmer?’ and I said ‘Yes, I am a farmer from the West – why do you ask?'”
“Indeed, why?”
“He said: ‘I am the only doctor here and I helped an old man who was ill and arranged to send him to a hospital in Montreal'”
“Yes?”
“He said: ‘that man and his family run the only chicken farm in town. This is the only place we get eggs from. Now the man and his family were all there in Montreal and I am helping to manage his chichen farm. Oh what a mess! I have to handle both medicine and chicken poop at the same time!'”
“A medical doctor managing a chicken farm? Wow, I have never heard of such a thing!”
“Yes, this is such a small island and he is the only one who can manage to get some people to help. He could not handle it any more so he came straight to me and asked for help.”
“What did you say to the doctor then?”
“My wife and I have decided to stay and help. But I need someone like you to help as well.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! Richard, I remember last time you told me you did not like the college life. Come, you can learn agriculture by doing, you know!”
“Well…”
“Don’t say no, Richard. You have talent and I have experience. Perfect fit!”
“Let me think.”
“Sure. Oh by the way, you will not believe what his chichen farm is like.”
“Like what?”
“Like a pile of sh*t! This farm is so primitive, no automatic watering, food feeding, manure handling, that sort of thing. Everything has to be done by hands. No wonder doctor Labrie wanted to quit”
“So what do we do?”
“I think we should upgrade this farm to modern standard. I need someone like you to help me.”
“Sound interesting, deal!”
So what happened next was straight forward. Richard left college and went to Isle de la Madeleine. That was the summer of 1973, a major turning point for him when he was 22.
Click to read Vision came true when Richard Nelson was 23