Fresh Air vs. Time Square

       The debate has been going on for years but the actual trends are showing that urban living is winning over country life. An article from the Population Reference Bureau  Organization reports that of 2008 the United Nations has found 50% of earths population is living in urban setting. I’ve lived in neighborhoods and in the  country and as a result I am firmly a country girl.  Furthermore, I’ve always thought that people lived in the city out of necessity. “Who would live in such cramped quarters right up in everyone’s face?” was my thought. I have friends and relatives who tell me of the benefits of close stores, community, easy transport and other perks, but I internally thought of the apparent love for city life as a kind of “Stockholm syndrome”. People had to live there so they decided to find something to like rather than be miserable. I have been learning that this is not necessarily the case. Some people who have the option of living elsewhere still choose the city over the country side. Apparently there is more in this issue that I had previously thought.
Population trends are showing us that as the years progress, a larger and larger percentage of earths population are urban dwellers. Part of this is due to the fact that there are more cities, but the issue runs much deeper than that. Jobs, housing, educational facilities and community centers are just a few of the things that are more abundant in cities. Another cause for urbanization has to do with the productivity of the country dwellers themselves. As methods of production become more efficient, crop yields are higher. This allows the use of less land to supply the same amount to people.
While country living has traditionally been thought of as “earth friendly”, urbanization has is ecological pros and cons as well. More people living in a smaller space allows less use of land. The condensed population also makes it easier to supply food, electrical, transportation and many other needs.  On the other hand, more condensed populations are more susceptible to disease and a higher concentration of waste. They also drastically change the environment.
One thing to remember about the “urbanization” topic is that the term “urban” has many different meanings and connotations. Urban can mean simply “non agricultural”.  Many small towns are classified as urban but don’t fit the city connotation.  As in most things, the definition isn’t what matters, the actual concept is. For me, “urban” is being able to see into your neighbors house from your driveway. I guess people becoming more urban doesn’t mean there is more country space, but that the cities are expanding. This worries me a little, but I’m confident that country living will continue to be an option. Long live the country!

Turn-arounds

I'm sure we've all heard of people saying that they changed.  It may have been to a skeptical loved on or to a boss about to fire them or to a parent who only remembers the child they used to be. Many people say they’ve change, but there are a few story of extraordinary change that have struck me recently. The first life turn around I thought of was that of James McBride. In his book The Color of Water, he details the life of his mother (a remarkable life of change in itself) and his own life. He grew up with a white mother and a black step father. The majority of his side of the book shows his struggle to find his identity. He tries hard summer jobs, petty theft, organized robbery, and many other unproductive ventures. Life was tough and he carried anger for years.  He eventually makes peace with being himself, partially through discovering his mother’s history.  He is now a successful writer.

The second turn-around I thought of was that of St. Augustine of Hippo. Born in late 300 AD, Augustine’s time period differed greatly from our current time, but his story is surprisingly modern.  He was born in a “southern Baptist” style town where the Bible and the Church were the center of the community. He was a rebellious lad, delighting in stealing pears and getting the better of his teachers. As he grew older, he grew to trust his own intellect, scoring the church. He ran away from home and studied abroad. Shockingly, he entered into a relationship with a woman he was not married to, living with her and having a child.  He sat in on a famous speakers church services, thinking he would learn speaking and be immune to Christianity. God won his heart however and he was eventually baptized.  But once baptized, he resisted changing his lifestyle of sin, even praying that God would change his heart, but not quite yet. He finally realized that he couldn’t do it alone and turned to the One who could change him from the inside. “Without you, what am I to myself by a guide to my own downfall?” he stated. Through further study and discourse with friends, he is lead to a true conversion experience, eventually becoming a bishop. 

Change is part of life, but true changes of the heart are rare and amazing.