It used to be that “city” and “civilization” were synonymous. The uncultured bumpkins lived in the country, while the men and women of culture lived in the city.
Times have changed.
You can still find plenty of bumpkins in the country. But you will also find many gentlemen farmers and ladies. You will find polite, philosophical, principled people of good taste. They are not the majority in rural areas, but they are there.
Meanwhile, in the city you are hard pressed to find anyone with even basic manners let alone depth of thought or principles. Cityfolk and most of their suburban neighbors have become cattle-like throngs. They mimic each other to the point of losing individuality, they behave like brutes, they have little to no perspective.
They may be “worldly wise” in that they’ve seen a mugging before, but they are oddly sheltered. They hardly seem to know other people – other worlds – exist.
Every time I go to a big city, especially in the last five years, I am aghast at the lack of civility. Even in the suburbs, the manic rat race dehumanizes.
These are, of course, sweeping generalizations. People of substance can be found anywhere I’m sure. But the striking thing is how different the overall impression is than the old assumptions about city vs country people.
These days, I feel furthest from humanity and civilization in a large cities.