Reading Reflection on George Simmel
In ‘The Metropolis and Mental Life,’ George Simmel contrasted the differences between living in the city and living in a small town. According to his thought, people who lived in rural areas are more tied to their communities. They are more emotional in their encounters with fellow citizens, and they feel a strong sense of unity with one another. However, they are bound to their small towns by the judgments of others that arise when people live in such closeness to each other. Insignificant details can become more and more critical when everyone knows the aspects of your life, and this is what Simmel argues that keeps a rural citizen from feeling truly free.
On the other hand, metropolitans are desensitized to new experiences due to the overstimulation caused by city life. They are rational and proper in their interactions with others. They feel a disconnect from everyone around them. Their punctuality is mechanical; they regard people and their relationships as calculable and instrumental. No links are developed to find companionship or fraternity. All encounters with people must have a purpose and must be beneficial to oneself in a predictable way. This harsh exterior, where real relationships are unable to form, is described as a coping mechanism developed as a result of overstimulation. Simmel finally states that the environment where one lives, whether urban or rural, forms permanently the nature of this person’s soul.
I grew up in Ottawa, which is a reasonably large city. But I have spent a lot of time vacationing in both tiny towns and vast cities. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in each of them. In response to Simmel’s belief that the type of area you live in can have an irreversible effect on your personality, I believe that the environment around you is what you make. The vast metropolis that I have spent some time in is New York City. It is possible to walk around quickly with your eyes on the ground and never once smile at anyone who passes you by. But it’s also entirely possible to have friendly conversations with the person standing next to you in line and sitting beside you on the subway. Once you regard everyone around you as a member of your community, it’s hard not to feel an emotional connection. I have also spent a significant amount of time in the small ex-mining town of Buchans, Newfoundland. With a population of 200, almost everyone knows your full name, not to mention the names of family members that you didn’t even know you had. It’s easy to stroll, having a conversation with everyone you pass because you recognize everyone around you. But at the same time, one could just as easily walk with their head down, going to and from places to achieve tasks and meet needs. I agree there is a particular culture that can come with the size of a town. But I believe you can turn your big city into a small town community by being friendly and regarding everyone as your neighbor. You can gain the freedom of living in a town, despite living in a small town, by maintaining your privacy by treating those around you as members of your community, not your household. I think that where you live is what you make of it.