Time to Resurrect Community Living

Posted on 23. May, 2008 by Mrs. Mecomber in blogging

I’ve said it numerous times before and I’m still saying it– the economy in the United States as well as the rest of the industrialized world is undergoing a radical change. Our lifestyles of excessive waste and consumerism are rapidly going by the wayside. I think we are going to see a need for more frugal living.

For many years, I’ve watched the demographics of American communities change. Remember in the 1950s, there was this trend of expansion? This was the time of the automobile, the shopping malls, the suburban development, the “plastic” age. Our society was built on the production and consumption of affordable petroleum. It was a big artificial bubble built on a shaky kind of prosperity (foreign oil and foreign goodwill). Things have changed. Now that world governments are ruining the economies and the food supply, I think we will have to change our way of life to adapt.

For example, my nearest grocery store is two towns away. That’s over 3 miles, and I am one of the closer ones! Some people have to drive 30 miles– THIRTY MILES– to get groceries. I’ve heard of some people getting scooters or mules or horses for transportation, but here in the Northeast, it is impossible to go that far to get groceries without a vehicle and gasoline. What happens when owning a vehicle and buying gasoline is no longer affordable (and I believe this will happen)?

Our modern society has been built on the automobile. There once was a small mom-and-pop grocery store down the street, but they closed about ten years ago because they couldn’t compete with WalMart, (just 10 miles, but a whopping 25 minutes away). And my town has “sections” of development that were concocted in the 1960s– a section for shopping (and the traffic is crazy there!), a section for housing, a section for government offices, etc. American state and town governments have basically eliminated the community. Anyone remember when we used to have communities– you know, the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, lol. You knew who your grocer was, your postman, your doctor, etc, and everyone was close by. You didn’t have to drive 20 miles to buy clothes or 15 miles to see the family doctor. Today everything is so far removed, and cold and antiseptic. I think we are going to see a huge change because this kind of lifestyle is no longer sustainable. I hate to admit it as much as anyone, but I really don’t think gasoline prices, energy prices, and taxes are going to go down.

What irks me is the mindset of so many “greenies.” It’s so very popular to live “green,” to do things the “green” way… but what good is it to recycle your plastics and still drive an SUV? You are canceling out any benefits you might offer. Going “green” is a lifestyle; it’s not a good deed you do once in a while to make yourself feel good or earn a gold star in school. And it’s not a laborless lifestyle, either; going green is HARD WORK.

Maybe I’m ranting a little… but I see an earth-shaking change coming and if we want to make it through, we need to realize that we need to change ourselves. We are going to have to build local communities again, just to be able to meet our basic needs. I think the time of excessive, individualistic living is over.

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9 Responses to “Time to Resurrect Community Living”

  1. Karen

    23. May, 2008

    Something is going to have to “give.”

  2. Mrs. M

    23. May, 2008

    You’re right, Karen, and I doubt very much that the governments, big business, and big oil will “give.” They never have before!

  3. Ada

    23. May, 2008

    I can relate to the point being made, having traded small town living of Liberty population 2800 versus Dumfries, VA and Tampa, FL, Liberty is what you describe, everybody knows everybody, I basically walk everywhere because the library is less than a block away, I can see the one and only grocery store (Food Lion) from my bedroom window, and if nothing else, I get a workout as well as save on gas and help the environment.

  4. Alan Bamboo

    23. May, 2008

    I don’t miss country living, it used to be 10 kilometres to the nearest store, to far to walk that’s for sure.
    That town got a Walmart also………and yes it’s busy. Seems like every little “big enough” towns are all looking the same…….one Walmart, one McDonalds, ….

    The boarded up railway station with grass and weeds growing everywhere

  5. Mrs. Mecomber

    24. May, 2008

    Hello, Ada. Is that Liberty, NY, to which you refer? I have been there! :)

    Alan, I’ve lived in the biggest city in the world and on a mountain in the deep woods… I do prefer the country life, even though it’s tough living. I agree, all the little towns are looking the same with their WalMart and McD’s. Sigh.

  6. Jenny-up the hill

    24. May, 2008

    Community living would be nice…we do live close enough to our local grocery store that we could walk. My problem is endurance! lol!! I’ve thought about getting a bike, but I’m not sure how to get my groceries back to the house without getting my eggs squished and myself killed!

  7. Alan Bamboo

    24. May, 2008

    I guess there are some things I still miss, but prefer just visiting now….and reading about.

    I don’t miss the veternarian trips…to get those porcupine quills removed!!!!!
    Don’t cut the tips of the quills off!!!!!!!!!

  8. Ellen

    25. May, 2008

    I agee with EVERYTHING you’ve said here. Without being so negative but definitely being realistic, I don’t think prices are going to get better. I do think we will need to drastically change our life styles. I know in the last ten years I have had to drastically change mine due to couple jobs losses. And now that I’m in the age discrimination bracket (almost 59)it is so dang hard to get an employer to recognize the wonderful qualities an older person brings to the company. I am employed FT in a job that I dread going to each day and I’m blessed that I have it and I thank God daily that I have it. However, it’s an on going battle with me to be happy with it. My point here…due to this very low paying job I’ve had to cut back on so many things in my life and it has been very hard. But the good thing is that I’ve done it and it now in retrospect it hasn’t been as bad as I thought.
    Thanks again for all your help with my screenshots and for a great post!!!!!

  9. New York Renovator

    26. May, 2008

    [...] an interesting story I found today; it echoes something I wrote here, and what I also blogged about [...]

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