The Rural Voice, 1999-09, Page 8Save Over
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4 THE RURAL VOICE
Keith Roulston
How our rural empire fell
When empires fall, more often the
seeds of destruction come from
within rather than from conquerors
from without. In a way, our rural
society has been undermined, not
from outside forces but by the minds
of our own people.
You can
pardon those of
us who lived
through the
frightening years
of the Cold War
if we were
shocked that
when first the
Berlin Wall and
finally
Communism in
all of eastern
Europe, fell
without a shot
being fired. The
billions of dollars
the U.S. spent on
Star Wars technology and other
weapons was not as effective as
American TV shows that invaded
Communist countries and planted the
lure of a luxurious western lifestyle
in the minds of people who had to
stand in line just to get bread.
And in much the same manner,
our rural way of living has changed
not just by the introduction of new
technology like the combine which
allowed farmers to work alone on
their farms instead of the community-
wide work/social aspect of threshing,
but also in the planting of urban ideas
which have undermined the strengths
of rural communities.
Urban living is easier in many
ways than rural living. You go to
work, earn your money, come home
and put your feet up in front of the
TV. You don't have to worry about
volunteering to drag the diamond at
the local ball park or paint the
comunity hall. Certainly there are
many city people who lead Girl
Guides or volunteer at the local
nursery school but the majority of
people can relax in the knowledge
that if they don't help out, the service
will still be provided by other
volunteers or the government.
Rural life has always been more
complicated. From early times rural
Urban ideas
change our
thinking
people knew that if they wanted
certain things, from schools to
churches, they were going to have to
work together to make it happen, just
as they worked together in barn
raisings and quilting bees. Later the
same communal spirit helped build
hockey arenas and community parks.
It wasn't that people in the
country weren't individuals, it was
that individuals learned to work
together to accomplish more than
they could on their own.
Through sheer numbers, infra-
structure of cities could develop in
ways that didn't depend on people
getting together to make things
happen. With so many people
wanting services, it might be
worthwhile for entrepreneurs to
provide them. If not, the local
government probably stepped in.
In the city you know if one
grocery store closes, another one is
sure to open. Even if it doesn't, it's
only a few extra blocks to a
competitor. In rural areas we once
realized that the businesses we had
were all we had. If we didn't support
them, we wouldn't have them.
But that was before the urban
mindset crept down rural concessions
and the tree -lined streets of towns and
villages. Now its permissible, even
encouraged, to put your own short-
term interests first and not think of
consequences. So if they can save a
few cents on a jar of coffee by
travelling out of our community,
most people do. Loyalty to the Local
merchant? What a quaint old-
fashioned, small-town notion.
And you expect me to volunteer
my precious time to coach hockey?
Reroof the curling club? Bake pies
for the church bazaar? Are you
kidding? I paid $40 a month for the
movie channel and I've got to get my
money's worth.
In the long run, however, urban
individualism is a concept that will
destroy rural living. Yes it's nice to
be guilt free in looking only at our
own immediate needs but in the long
run we will be the losers.0
Keith Roulston is editor and
publisher of The Rural Voice. He
lives near Blyth, ON.