City Versus Country

When of a young age, interaction is thrived upon – interaction with other children, adults, and people of different backgrounds.

A life in the city is filled with opportunity – it presents a more relevant perception of our ever-changing world, and can open one’s eyes to the reality of our very existence. A lack of social skills and a sense of vulnerability may contribute to their reluctance to make the long and dreaded trip to the city – such a sheltered growth leaving them with no sense of the potential future to be had in a more open environment, one filled with brimming prospects. Surrounding you is the hustle and bustle of colour and excitement as hoards of people parade around you, and make their way to their own separate destinations. The ever-present expectancy that the next season will be drought-stricken; the worry that the next crop will be a failure; the possibility that one day it will all have to be sold out, and there will be nothing left. To spend a valuable childhood in the Outback, isolated from others, living a sheltered life, is a perfect situation for a child to be influenced to believe that there is no place other than the farm.

As a child is brought up in the city, they are exposed to a wider range of cultural experiences, and the opportunity to express themselves socially. With so much to lose, a life lived on the land is a life lived in constant fear – fear of failure.

Now picture a fully grown adult, one who has had the opportunity to experience a range of different cultures and social settings in their life, had the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities to extend their own personal knowledge. To grow up in a setting with people of varied nationalities, and to experience their ways of life in close proximity, can contribute to opening a child’s mind to the various different lifestyles that may be lived in a range of cultures, and will contribute to their ability to possess an open-mind towards others in different situations than themselves. It is easy to become trapped in that recurring routine – the endless dreary toil of the land, a repetitive daily schedule leaving a certain impression in the mind of the beholder – an impression that says that life can be no different, can’t get any better. The constantly shifting world we live in is frequently being influenced by varying trends, and ideas, and these are translated to the more populated areas, where people learn of new technologies and concepts that may be more exciting, or more helpful to our world in the future. A child that has lived in the country their entire life may find it hard to communicate effectively with others, having only interacted with their family throughout their life. As a child reaches their teenage years, they contemplate the thought of proceeding to an agricultural college, or simply learning the tricks of the trade from a close relative, or friend.