| |
Attending
school in the small, East Texas town of Nacogdoches (Nac) has
been a new experience for me. Growing up primarily in the suburbs
of Dallas, I've been accustomed to large 20+ screen movie theaters,
massive malls, sky scrapers, huge variety in radio stations, access
to most any store or product, as well as a seemingly endless city—I've
lived in Dallas probably 11 years or so and probably haven't seen
most of it. After a semester at SFA in Nacogdoches, however, I
had seen all of it as well as many parts of surrounding cities.
At first I felt bored—everything that had normally occupied my
time in Dallas was gone, and adjusting to what was left became
a challenge. To me, a town of 30K (half of which is probably the
school) with two main roads (North and University), a 20-year-old
six screen theater (which had a broken heater last time I was
there), three real radio stations, and no major stores (except
for our Super Wal-Mart) was boring.
I had
heard from several people that they didn't like the town because
of its super conservative culture. Being in the 'bible belt' I had
assumed there would be some sort of small town churchy-ness to Nac,
but with a good sized university in the middle of town (and that
being my bubble) I didn't really see too much of this. Recently,
however, I was in Wal-Mart with my “really good friend” Michelle
(we're avoiding the labels and implied obligations of the boy/girlfriend
terms) and had a taste of it. As we were standing in the checkout
line, an elderly woman in front of us began to make small talk,
asking where we were from, and if we were students at SFA and such.
At some point she asked us if we went to church. I was a bit surprised
by the question, but we both answered “Yes” and received a “good,
bless you” from the woman. As we were walking out Michelle made
some comment about the backward cultural black hole she felt we
were in (or something probably less dramatic) and I noted that the
woman might have seen my 'icthus' ring or her necklace. Even still,
I was a bit surprised by her question. Growing up in a church-going,
Christian home, I always assumed everyone else went to church too.
It was quite a revelation to me as a child the day someone told
me they didn't go to church. I had never really considered the possibility,
but after that I've felt it was an awkward question to throw out,
at least to people I don't know. For some reason the casualness
that she felt among strangers really interested me—this is not an
experience I was used to. I felt like she would have given me a
dollar if I had asked.
Some
may feel suffocated by such an environment—especially those who
are not the “religious type.” I've had a bit of a different reaction
to living in a small town. I feel free. After three semesters at
school, coming back to Dallas between semesters and driving 40 minutes
in traffic to get to work (and 40 minutes back home) makes me appreciate
being able to ride my bike to most places in Nac. In Dallas, everything's
at least 10 or 20 minutes away—in Nac, everything's 3 minutes away.
There are no billboards in Nac, no trendy coffee shops, no huge
consumer electronic stores, few expensive cars, no expensive restaurants,
no traffic, and no AOL. And I don't miss them anymore (OK, I never
missed AOL—after all, who would miss the corporate front of Satan?).
I don't miss always reading all the ads in the Sunday paper, I don't
miss the bombardments of consumerism, and I don't miss the cultural
competition of status. I'm starting to enjoy more simple things,
like visiting the observatory outside of town (you can actually
see stars, imagine that), going to parks, walking around the school's
arboretum, driving around the country (especially in the rain) or
visiting the lake. Over all, life is a bit less stressful when leisure
activities don't necessarily require planning, fighting traffic,
or buying tickets. The only TV I watch anymore is the occasional
episode of The Simpsons.
I'm
still trying to decide whether or not this is better than suburbia.
There are certainly advantages to metropolitan living such as independent
and art film theaters, museums and exhibits, availability of products
and of more professional jobs. I'm not sure if these qualities justify
living there, however. I'm thinking that a simple, low-income life
without the hassles and stress that accompany professional urban
living would be a much better lifestyle than one that drains the
soul. The ultimate, of course, would be to somehow filter the bad
from both and combine them—to live simply in the city, for example.
I think my ideal would be to work in a professional field that appeals
to me and be able to live within walking distance of the office.
I'd also like to be walking distance from most of the places I go—markets,
restaurants, social pubs, theaters, etc. I'm not sure if it's possible
to get the best of both worlds, however.
I suppose
different people are suited to different lifestyles. For me, I had
always thought country living would be boring and that I required
all the excitement and lights of the city—though now that I've moved
out of all that my perspective has changed. It's not the city itself
that brings me down, and it's not the country itself that I enjoy.
It's the traffic and the unchecked materialism that bring me down;
and it's the casual, simple, and quiet activities that uplift me.
Whatever environment provides the least stressful conditions is
probably what works best for me, and I think it's something more
people should give a chance. Too many of us have been tricked into
thinking that living in a world of brand names somehow makes us
better and better off than those who do without. I, however, disagree—and
our attachment to stuff is both a cultural and spiritual weakness.
Copyright
© 2001 Brian Scates. All Rights Reserved.
Brian Scates [brian@exitanalog.org] Brian is an art major @
Stephen F. Austin State University in East Texas, and owner of
a little graphic design firm: LogoWonders (www.logowonders.com).
Brian is an avid computer and internet user, but still occasionally
leaves his laptop at home.
comment?
discuss this article on our discussion
board
|
