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| Lovely park in the center of Buckhead |
For the better part of the last eight years, I have spent my life in a small country town. It was my choice, my dream in fact, to be in rural Georgia and after spending the past week back in my childhood city of Atlanta; I realize now why I make that choice. Besides obvious reasons like the beauty of silence, as well as the sounds of nature, darkness…watching the moon rise and actually seeing stars in the sky, vast forests where the trees do not have to push their roots up through concrete, breathing in deeply and experiencing clean, fresh air…and don’t even get me started about city water…Gag.... the most profound difference is the energy. I always notice the intensity that seems to come over me as I travel down the highway from the country four-lane into the throbbing, frenetic 14 lanes of I-75, and it is real. It is a frantic and chaotic energy that makes me scrunch my shoulders up without even realizing I am doing it. The city with its now six MILLION inhabitants (that’s right 6,000.000!) is overflowing with an anxious energy that reaches out its tentacles and sucks you into the vortex.
I have been staying here, without a vehicle, and have done all the things I needed to do including grocery shopping, on foot. It has been an enlightening experience and I am grateful to be in a place that has so much to offer in a five-mile radius. I have spent the last few days walking up and down the heart of this city and have passed many people along the way. Everyone is in such a huge hurry. Not just the people in the cars inevitably stacked up at the numerous traffic lights, but even the pedestrians. The sidewalks are filled with people that appear to have some giant invisible beast in hot pursuit. They don’t look up, they don’t make eye contact, and they certainly don’t talk to you. Well, being the instigator of well, I don’t really know what, I have been intentionally talking to everyone I see. Smiling as big as I can, saying, “Hello, what a beautiful spring-like day we have today!” and other such small talk. I am pretty sure they think I am either crazy, or “she’s not from around here…” ha! I am from here. I am from exactly here!” Although I might also be crazy because I do in fact feel like I am from another planet.
This brings me to another difference between overcrowded cities and where I live. It is most definitely the people. You see, I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The mountains, the rivers, the forests, the expansive sky full of infinite possibility….these gifts are all so special, so sacred. The people that live here know it. Even if they grew up in a place like this, they still know, deep within themselves, that they are connected to it. There is something so divine in this land that goes beyond physical beauty. It is a peace that resides in the soul that can be called upon in the blink of an eye.
I understand the importance of cities and that they exist for a reason. They just seem to grow so BIG...and so BUSY. Why is everyone in such a dang hurry? You just don't see too many "sleepy" cities. My question is, do you think it is too late for humans? Are we so far down the rabbit hole there is no turning back? Although sometimes I get discouraged when I see how we treat the earth and the creatures living on it, I do not believe this to be true. I believe we can all… together, create the loving, peaceful, abundant world we all dream of living in. Gandhi knew. He said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. What do you think would happen if we ALL did that?
I was in the big city of Atlanta for seven years. I saw high-rise buildings go up…. Then come down. It seemed they never got it right. Good money after bad! Then came the “Big” companies, many seemingly having no product. Just trading money back and forth with other big companies. The city did not seem crowded during that era. But then Money people started building cheap apartment complexes. Of course with the influx of people, many of whom seemed clueless as to how to operate in the big city. Then came chaos. Rural people coming to the big city to leave their simple life. Hustle, bustle, walk fast ,look busy. Surprise! Surprise! They were trapped!
ReplyDeleteThere were enclaves of simple life around the various College Campuses. People walking slowly, some holding hands. Eating ramen noodles with their bodies’ sloughing off the bad stuff. They came to leave. But the office people, they were trapped. As years passed, many found their way out. Perhaps their employer had positions in other, more relaxed towns. Others made it to retirement. And where did they go?” Back to their old stomping grounds. Even there things were built up, but then they found their niche and were comfortable.
I ask you “Have you ever heard of rural people retiring and moving to the big City?”