Where has everyone gone?

[karlevans]

For several years one of the more common constructs afoot in our world was the variety of message boards concerning rural life. From church to cooperatives to schools to taxing schemes, it seems everyone had something to say.

Over the past year or two, this openness to gyrate orally about our rural life seems to have been closed off. It is not only on this board but on dozens of others that there seems to be a great wall of silence.

Probably the most noticeable of these areas is spiritual/religious life. I have a list of web sites that have not been updated or posted to in at least a year.

I can only think of a few reasons for this sparcity of words.

1. Farmers no longer talk. I have trouble believing this.

2. There is something about our culture that has changed rural life toward isolationism. In the process it may have changed the nature of rural people. But into what?

3. 9/11 has frightened us all into believing that everything that has value was wiped out in the World Trade Center fall.

4. God is no longer active in rural life.

Well, I don't know what the deal is, but it worries me.

Any Ideas?

old karl

[carebear300]

I know what you mean nobody seems to like talking anymore. I see it not only on these chat sites but in my day to day life as well. I wonder if people are just getting tired of the whole mess that we are in. It seems to me that even the well to do neighbours that I have don't seem to enjoy talking about farming anymore. There has just been too many poor years in a row and the government has seemed to abandon us to the whims of the large agra corporations and thrown us out as cannon fodder to appease foreign governments. I have just about had enough myself and I used to think that I loved farming.

[wilagro]

One of the factors affecting farmers is STRESS. When farmers are stressed out they tend to clam up. They are expected to be self reliant, capable providers and good managers. This protracted drought and the uncertain future have devastated some operations and it will take years to get over it. Even the larger operations in this area are in trouble. It seems like their efforts have been for naught.
That's my reading anyway.

[karlevans]

Thanks to wilagro and carebear300 for your insights. This common thread of the current stressful state of the world, including the drought and the world situation, should be important to the church.

You have reminded me of some other things. In my years of rural ministry, I could tell the state of farming by the way the men (particularly) stood around after church. Sometimes they were excited to get home and get cracking again. Sometimes they did not want to go home at all because they were discouraged. Sometimes they faced family or community problems that needed fresh air in a sheltered group, such as the church. There were many different aspects to this behaviour.

I have developed some workshops for dealing with these matters in the local rural church. I hope to be able someday soon to run several of them across the nation soon. In any case, the matters lifted here are a key issue for the life of the church.

Are there other thoughts?

Jesus came to make life as good as it possibly could become.

old karl

[rodbradshaw]

I feel that the rural population is stiving to have all the material things that the urban population has. In the past (probably 40-50 years ago), rural people where not slaves to consumerism as we tend to be today. We want the lifestyle and the material things that the rest of society has whether that is preception or reality on our behalf. We have to have the latest cloths and gadgets the same as our urban cousins or be precieved to be poverty cases.

Inorder to achieve these ends, especially in the last 15 or so years, we have had to burn the candle at both ends which leads to more stress and other health issues. It would be much easier to return to the lifestyle of my parents when they were my age but it would mean a drastic change in my childrens world. You would not just stop and go to town for supper because you didn't feel like cooking or for that matter run to town to go to a movie or sporting event.

Life would be simpler and maybe we could be like the hippies of the sixties and early seventies and just drop out. Tell the machine companies and the banks that we are tired of running on a ever accelerating tread mill and that we are goiung to relax and enjoy the world and our families and that we don't care what society will think.

Well I got it off my chest and I would be interested to hear whether I'm all wet or what others think but I'm off to haul grain so I can take the Kids to McDonalds a couple more times.

Rod

[ValueChainFX]

Well folks, interesting thread here, you all have some good points, but I recall an earlier question asking "if people had the chance to just stay on the farm and farm or go work another job would they? and Why they liked farming?

The world has become more complexed in our minds from 50 years ago til now. Food comes to Canada from all over the world, prices are manipulated by big companies and government and more and more of the things we used to control in our rural lives have been taken (or given) away!

Time to look in the mirror and remember the big guy is still watching you and your's, but do we watch our neighbors like we used to? Do we work our farm business like we used to? Holy ... holy what has changed?

When we are busy pointing fingers at everything that has changed we have three pointing back at us! Well, you have a lot to be thankful for and if you have kids then a lot to work for to give them a future as well. Goodness sake your folks were pioneers in this industry and you are as well, but your folks (although independent) also worked in the community and provided support for those that needed it.

It is time we all gave thanks and started to work together to build a strong Canadian (and global) ag business. I know there are a few grabbers out there but you know who they are and you have a chance to be the new pioneer for the future generations.

Start today and make sopme positive things happen. In the future we history look back on us and say we were the pioneers or the downfall of agriculture in Canada?

Only "YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN" and the big guy is watching you and helping you too .... believe it or not!

[rookie]

probably where the rest of society is going...

I look at how things were once and how they are today and it is concerning to me. From the sense that yes things seem to be changing ( not to mention the break neck speed at which it is happening ) It sure would be nice if things could be frozen in time , especially some good times, but that isn't the natural way of life it seems. Things will change.

I feel we must as a society try to preserve those good things and that ideal community life style, and give direction to our futures and so on, but then ask the question of why is it as it is now ? Fundamentally what lead us as a people, nation, and world to where we are today. Perhaps some of this good advise ( no arrogance here ) should have been practiced a long time ago.

It is great to see however, that this dialog is taking place, and I try everyday to make our world better at all levels. But I will be blunt and honest... not enough people are. Then again, maybe my view reflects todays society of wanting everything right now. Especially change. only in some ares of course... (smile)

well , thats my two cents towards the future, and for now, I am not going anywhere.

[karlevans]

As Rookie has said, many things about our world have changed, and maybe some of them need to be changed. Changes in technology seem to shake up our relationships, our communities, our hopes, our dreams, as well as our style of life.

Of course, some of these are bad, and some good. The original question on this thread has to do with why fewer people seem to be taking responsibility for the world as a whole by putting their little bit in.

Is it only Saddam Hussein and George Bush that are willing to say 'this is what it ought to be?" Or Bin Laden?

What is there about our technical world, specifically that has stopped us from speaking up? Is it the internet by allowing us to live our lives without ever going out into the community? air conditioning in cars by letting us keep our windows rolled up?

Or is it just television?

I am concerned for our world, not on the basis of change happening, but on the question of whether these changes will be the result of a struggle for value and decency and justice.

karl

[cakadu]

Karl - you're right, a number of our values have changed and oftentimes not for the better either.

I agree with Rod that as a whole we want many of the things that our urban cousins have. I guess what concerns me is that in order for the kids to be on the right hockey teams, get the best figure skating lessons, we go to the bigger centres and forget about the smaller rural areas for our kids to be involved in sports.

In rural areas we're seeing less and less in the way of medical facilities, educational opportunities and business of any sort. I guess we're somewhat on par with those in the city that are faced with having their schools closed and their children having to go elsewhere.

Are we going so fast that we are forgetting to stop and take stock of what is real and important to us?

[karlevans]

Seems to me that one of the major difficulties in our lives is that we have so much noise coming from elsewhere. This noise says constantly that someone else is more important than we are. This is especially is true for rural folks. We live in and around small towns without much political power. Most of us don't have much money. Major politicians rarely come to us. Banks are not eager to loan us a couple hundred thousand when they can be dealing in millions. And so on.

It is just tough to convince ourselves and our families and neighbors that we are important. It is tempting to go to the cities where we can actually be something important???!!!!

The first role of the church and community is to communicate the value of the person to that person and to the rest of the world. Of course, we have to remember that Christ died doing that. So did Lincoln. Churchill was laughed at, at first. Ghandi was killed.

But the internet is the current state of the art in personal value in the world. I can write this note, and in a few seconds, my words can sing across Canada, even around the world. The internet is one of the keys to life in rural society today.

karl

[ALICIA]

your right we don't talk any more.
I work of the farm, and I hear a lot of the talk about farms. And it just amazes me that every city person thinks they and farm and do a better job. If I try to explain any topic to them, they look at me like I don't know what i'm talking about, or I was even told that I don't count. So I just stoped talking and let them go to it because I do know and can't be bother any more.
I live in a village that has grownd and was told that the was going to be a by-law saying that the farm can't be sold to a nother farmer, when the last cow I own goes there can't be another cow or horse, farm animal on the farm. the cousal whants the land to build houses and grow and farming is in the way.
I asked if one of my cows gets mad cow and the goverments takes them away does that mean I can't have any for cows. Was told yes, that right.