My Opinion
December 19th, 2005 by Northern FarmerIn the countryside people have a habit of knowing more about their neighbors than the neighbors know about themselves. It’s strange but true. In the city people have no idea what others are doing and they probably don’t give a hoot either. If you want out of society I think the best place to get lost or disappear is in the city. Now many folks just don’t understand this, they think you can come out into the farming areas and just live without anyone knowing what they’re doing. And they wonder why they crash and burn!
Sometimes there’s folks that come out and figure they’re going to build some new perfect agrarian society out in the countryside. I see them on the web and do get a chuckle or two. They look down on the people that have lived out there for generations, the people that built the farming areas, that stood up to every thing this earth can throw at them, that sometimes died tragic deaths in the struggle. They plead for donations of money so they can “start†their society so “later†others can follow and obey them. Any problems they run into they blame others for persecuting them. They condemn all other Christian denominations other than their own, whatever the heck that is. They have the same personality of a spoiled five year old brat. They call themselves agrarians and they don’t have the slightest idea how to survive out in the country, other than pleading for donations through PayPal. They figure anyone other than their bunch of losers shouldn’t even have the right to vote because only they were chosen by God.
The Christian Agrarian society that I see is so much different than these lunatics that it can’t even be compared. But in the long run they will fail as they always do. When I see tens of thousands of people starting farming, the new farming, all around the country and succeeding, without pleading for donations and blaming everybody around for their problems, I have faith in the future. These families have faith in God and are not afraid to work and use their heads. Key word is work, not plead for money. And a bigger key word is faith in God. Not blaming in His name.
December 20th, 2005 at 11:27 am
“In the countryside people have a habit of knowing more about their neighbors than the neighbors know about themselves.”
I’ve heard this sort of thing said many times and that in small towns everybody knows everything about everyone. I have lived virtually all of my life in very small downs (not found that to be true at all.
Of course, given that I have so little experience with city life (2 months) it could be that I just don’t know how little city folk know about each other.
I do agree with you on the topic of those strange folk who come out of the city, like the Nearings, and want to tell everyone how to do it right. They are amusing. Part of what is funny is when they preach tolerance yet are totally closed minded about anyone else doing anything differently than their way. Let’s call it the Tao of Hypocrisy.
December 20th, 2005 at 11:50 am
Walter,
You’ll just have to get out here in the midwest when farmers are shooting the bull, believe me, we know alot about everyone! Sometimes it’s even more interesting when I can find out what I’m supposedly doing. I’ve supposedly been in jail, got in fights, killed someones dog, you name it. Glad I found out or else I’da never knew.
December 21st, 2005 at 1:36 am
I agree Tom, course some of my life was revealed to our neighbors, I never met becuase we had a party line just sixteen years ago.
I also agree with your sentiments on the utopian agrarian community. It is man glorifying and not God glorifying. It kind of scares me to see the talk go on. This agrarian way won’t save the world. Christ will.