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What happened to the days when
even complete strangers treated each other with respect and common courtesy?
The days when people would hold the door open for each other at the store. The
days when people weren't continually pulling out in front of you on the
highway? The days when children were taught to say ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’ to all
adults? The days when someone who dialed a wrong number would actually
apologize rather than slamming the phone in your face, as though its your
fault? It seems that everyone today is at best indifferent, if not down-right
disrespectful, to strangers.
Often on Sunday mornings I travel to a neighboring congregation which is
about 70 miles from my home. This trip takes me through a very rural area of
south Mississippi where I have observed something very interesting. Being
from a fairly large city I am not at all used to a stranger waving at me as
we pass each other on the road. But I have found that when you get out into
the country this is not the case at all. On a typical Sunday morning I will
have several people wave at me. The interesting thing is to notice the type
of people who wave and those who don't.
I have gotten to the point where I almost know beforehand if a driver will
wave by the type of automobile he is driving and the clothes he is wearing.
If you see a nice looking late model car with a family in it dressed for
church you needn't even bother looking at them because they won't even
acknowledge your existence. But if you see a beat-up old pick-up driven by a
farmer wearing overalls, or in the winter a pick-up driven by a hunter
wearing his orange hat, neither of whom probably have any intention of going
to Church, you might as well get ready to wave back because they are going to
wave at you.
Doesn't it seem strange that people going to church don't act as friendly as
those who aren't going to church? I don't really think that the difference in
these people is whether or not they attend church. The biggest difference is
their attitudes. The people in the nice car heading to the big church in town
probably make a good living (judging by the car and clothes) and have what I
will call ‘city-folk attitudes.’ The old farmer and the hunter are both content
to be known as common folk and have what I will call `country-folk
attitudes.'
Many people speak of the differences in the way people behave in the South
versus the North. There is no doubt that, as a whole, people in the South are
the friendliest and nicest in the country. But this doesn't mean we have a
monopoly on good people. I have been all over this country and I have found
good and bad people just about everywhere.
There is one thing I noticed, though, that I don't hear people talk about all
that much. I have found that, much more pronounced than the differences in
the North and South, is the differences between people who live in a big city
versus those who live in the country. The average farmer will be nice
regardless of whether he lives in Mississippi, Montana or even upstate New
York. The average city dweller will be more indifferent or even abrasive if
he lives in Boston, Los Angeles or even Atlanta.
If you coop-up even the best person in a big city for a long enough period of
time he will begin to show the effects of it. I just don't think people are
meant to be squeezed together like rats. Eventually you begin to suffocate
and you just plain get tired of seeing so many people. That's when you start
treating strangers, and even friends, rudely. But when a man lives in wide
open spaces and isn't constantly surrounded by crowds of people he learns to
appreciate others much more. He doesn't mind waving or saying `hi' to a
complete stranger.
I have noticed too that Christians are much more likely to come from the
country. One need only look at the distribution of churches to see that.
Practically any city you can think of with a population over 100,000 is
fortunate to have one congregation in it. Yet rural areas with only a
fraction of the population may have churches scattered all over the place.
And churches in the country tend to be more conservative that those in
cities.
Again it is the attitude of people which lies at the heart of this. Most
people living in a city find the Lord's church too simple and unappealing.
They want something with a large fancy building, and all sorts of modern
trappings and innovations. People from the country are better able to see
through all this and look more at the spiritual aspect of things.
Before I make everyone in the cities mad at me, I must say that I do know
many fine Christians who live in large cities, but they are the exception. As
a rule city dwellers are less friendly and less spiritually inclined. Living
a christian life is certainly possible in a city, but is a little more
difficult that in the country. I am not advocating that everyone should move
to the country, but we should all be careful. City life, and the attitudes it
fosters, can rob us of our patience and our respect for our fellow man. The
rat race can take its toll on any of us. We must be vigilant so that this
does not happen.
Having seen my share of urban sprawl and beautiful rolling countryside I know
one thing for certain. When we get to Heaven we will find that it is a whole
lot more like Greene County, Mississippi than New York or Chicago.
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