Perspectives of Civilization

Living in the city for the past few years has been an experience in human behavior - mine as well as everyone else.

City life has never been a favorite of mine. I much prefer the wide open spaces of Nature. And the 'people' who live there.

We spent a recent long weekend at our property - the Whyspering Woodes. On the first night we heard coyotes yipping quite close by. So close, I expected to see one pop into the firelight at any moment. But we had our dogs with us and they didn't seem concerned by any of it. So neither were we. Some of our kids were with us for the camping trip. Our youngest and his family had come up for the day. As Hubby walked them to their car for the return trip home that night, Youngest ask if Hubby had protection for his short trek back to camp. Youngest was a bit concerned because we had discovered who our bird feeder raiders were.

Hubby wasn't that concerned and neither was I. Even though the 'people' who live in our neck of the woods are considered wild and unpredictable, they are more predictable and civilized than the people who I see and encounter in the 'civilized' area called a city.

In our city, we see people with little to no patience yelling and acting poorly, people who are frustrated with where their lives and who have no idea how to improve it (or maybe lack the gumption), and utter disregard for each other or for Mother Earth. I offered the use of my recycling container to my neighbor once and the response was, "Why? Our trash can works just fine."

Now don't get me wrong. I don't live in a necessarily bad area, even though there are a lot of sirens heard here on a regular basis. The neighbors all know each other and people get out of their houses and socialize. The kids have fun playing in our little cul-de-sac. There isn't the 'keep up with the Jones' mentality here like there is in more upscale areas. And, for the most part, neighbors help each other out. I have discovered, when comparing our neighborhood here to the Denver one we lived in, that the social interaction of a group of people is directly related to income. The more money which is made, the more reclusive the people are in their homes.  

People become used to certain things and when those things become familiar, they are no longer perceived as a danger but as a way of life. For those who live in the city, bad behavior is part of the norm. For those who live in the wilds, learning to co-exist with nature's people is the norm. Life is all a matter of perspective.