POLLAL

America began in the wilderness where village life encompassed the entire social life of the area's residents. A village offered connectedness to family and friends, protection, and identity. Today's village life offers much the same, especially when compared to much faster pace that characterizes city life in our world today. Everyone has the need for community. Even the most independent minded still need other people and to experience relationships, have a familiar neighborhood, and a sense of belonging. Village life is just what the doctor ordered though the need certainly runs deeper than geographical roots. Community is most often found in the Church, supported by other structures like clubs, volunteer service organizations and simple neighborhood boundaries. Villages today generally run from a couple of hundred people up to a few thousand people at the most. Granted, back in the days of the Old West or along the eastern seaboard when the country first began a village might only contain twenty or thirty people. Native Indian villages were occasionally smaller. As today's villages go about daily life, most everybody has at least a passing knowledge of everyone else. They can say they know each other and often know all of the kids because they know their parents. City life is the opposite. Many folks live next to people whose names they don't know. Any sense of community or fellowship is found in like-minded people who have no geographical connection to each other. It may take an hour to drive to work to a spot in the same city. Traffic snarls try the best of nerves and sirens blare out the constant sense of urgency that city dwellers often feel. There are advantages to city life that come along with the disadvantages. Some of the benefits of living in the city are more advanced medical facilities that often include children's hospitals and urgent care centers. Shopping is infinitely easier with nearly endless shops and malls to visit, though the Internet has brought products that have been unavailable in village life right into the residents' living rooms. Other advantages include the top-of-the-line emergency response services with professional fire, police, and medical response departments. Highway driving is a given and if rush hour isn't included in the equation, the roads are fast and safe to travel. Most colleges and universities are located in population centers to draw in the highest number of potential students. These institutions of higher learning provide culture to city dwellers via the fine arts in theater, musicals, and dance troupes. City life does have its advantages. Village and city life have overlapping features that make both a viable alternative. Some people prefer the fast pace of city life and others enjoy the peace and quiet of villages, but in both cases human needs can be met. City and village dwellers can find spiritual, emotional, and physical development and fulfillment in either setting. Housing and schools are available in both as are the ever-expanding world of technology. Families that spend time together in work and fun can grow whether their town is large or small. For more information on village and city living, visit http://villagemicroblog.com and http://citymicroblog.com

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