Everyone should move away from the cities

[FastQuoter]

Hey everyone. Posting here for more discussion. I want to start a conversation that needs to be had. I've read a number of posts regarding families escaping the big cities for elsewhere and it's been an interesting read. I've used it for my own research too because honestly whilst living in a city has its perks, there is a big trade off regarding one's health, stress levels and community, amongst other things.

I read where village/rural communities across the UK are hostile to Londoners moving in - but it's going to be more of a thing and should be encouraged!

Essentially, I myself, and many other of my friends I've talked to, believe that living in a more village/rural setting is ideal, but we fear the unknown. We fear the reception from others and if we'll fit in here in the UK, which is fair enough but hear me out! I believe more people need to live in rural settings, go back to our roots, the way our ancestors lived.

Grow your own food! I'm telling you they'll be a time soon when such a skill will be vital. Sustain yourself and do not rely on the government to feed you. Please!

Learn to work with your hands! Whether that's sewing (like our mothers and grandmothers did), cooking from scratch, embroidery, hair making, etc etc there is something wonderful about seeing the fruits of your labour. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."

Beneficial for you and your children If you have young children, I can't see anywhere better for them to grow up. To be surrounded by nature as God intended (God put Adam and Even in the garden of Eden). The learn life skills from young.

Please be kind in the comments, this is my view and I certainly welcome rebuttals and counter-arguments but do be respectful.

May I suggest you move to Totnes.

Well, you could just read it with your rational critical intelligence switched on, regard the OT as a cluster of histories, metaphors, poems, proverbs, anachronistic dietary rules etc, and see the NT in the context of Second Temple Judaism (several ‘Messiahs’ active around the same period, the emergence of Jewish Christianity and the changes in Judaism in the region from Hellenism and Roman occupation). But that might be too hard.

What did Totnes do to deserve the OP?

I'm surprised by the way the direction of this thread has turned and I'm mixed with emotions.

• It's clear so many do not believe in God and that's unfortunate because Jesus Christ is coming again soon
• So many are negating the village/ countryside and that's very interesting and I don't know why so many are presenting it as the place

I am NOT saying that we should return to the STONE AGE! Tech has it's benefits, I use them daily and I'm grateful for the advancements

My message is not to FORGET skills that are important and useful.

Communities need to be revived in the cities and outside of the cities.

The cities shouldn't be the only place convenient for families to reside!

I'm surprised by the way the direction of this thread has turned and I'm mixed with emotions.

That could be because you a) decided to proselytise on a thread that was ostensibly about moving to the countryside and b) have very naive ideas about the realities of rural living and self sufficiency.

Me too!

I so hope the op is joking .
Noone can be this delusional.

This reads like a word AI post

a weird AI post,that should have read

For every person like @FastQuoter saying just believe in Jesus, become a Christian, repent your sins and you'll be welcomed into Heaven there is a Muslim saying there is only one God Allah you can only be saved by believing in him and being a good Muslim, and the same again for Hindus and Buddhists and every other religion. Everyone believes theirs is the only right one. And even amongst the Christians you've got Latter Day Saints saying theirs is the only right type of being a Christian, or Orthodox Catholics saying no ours is the only right way.

What's an atheist like me to do! Take up "hair making" in a village somewhere, seemingly.

Mmm. That's debateable but I'm basically in agreement. May I recommend a brilliant book that goes into a bit more detail on the evolution of cities, their benefits and disadvantages. It's a classic but I've no idea if that's good or bad these days.

The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects
Lewis Mumford
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/544053.The_City_in_History

(I particularly like the early chapters,)

It's clear so many do not believe in God and that's unfortunate because Jesus Christ is coming again soon

Pull the other one - it's got bells on! People have been saying he's coming again soon for a very long time. Jesus is coming, look busy

I washed my hair yesterday, does that count?

My words have finally come back and I feel like I can type a coherent post about this utter lunacy...
I grew up on an actual working farm, miles away from anywhere yet somehow every single plant I try to grow dies, my greatest achievement so far is having kept a cactus alive for the last few months (can't eat it as far as I am aware). I cannot sew, darn socks, bake, or otherwise generally keep my family alive living off the land, especially a small village garden! Maybe if I had acres of woodland I could trap rabbits and shoot dear but I am not sure how long we would last on such a meat heavy diet.
'City people ' flocking to the countryside is already causing major issues in some areas, complaining about the smell of farmers muck spreading or complaining about the noise of tractors when they are still working the land at midnight and keeping precious Timmy awake. It takes a certain kind of person to manage life in the countryside and most people simply are not cut out for it.
As for all the bible chat, words still fail me.

OP - have you ever actually been to a village? Any comment on the fact that village life in 2025 is not at all like what you seem to be describing?

Horses for courses, personally I live within commutable distance of London (I don't do it but could if needed) but very much in a village / town. I can't think of anything worse than living in London, it is too busy, too noisy, too claustrophobic and too big. But I have good friends who live there and absolutely love it and would hate living where I do, they would feel it is too quiet, not enough going on, not enough activities, not enough social life, no buzz and too small. All the things that make it hell for me make it heaven for them.

It’s a difficult thing to broach while remaining respectful, but there is a line between religiosity and an expressions of a mental health concern. I am nowhere near qualified to make any kind of judgment of where that line is but sometimes I get concerns.

I live in the side of a mountain in a national park, so about as rurally as it comes.

You're cliche of rural life is a joke.

I work in the nhs, have a young kid, live in a small property, juggle childcare, have normal 21st century hobbies etc etc, as do my friends.

If people want to live rurally then great, if they prefer cities then equally fine. Life and Cost of living is just as much a challenge rurally as in cities. Salaries are lower, career progression poorer, child care harder to find, travel is expensive as you can't use public transport as it didn't exist and everywhere is further away, in winter there are limited indoor entertainment options. Different problems, but just a many.

What skills do you have that are ‘important and useful’, and relevant to a mass exodus to the countryside, OP?

Im an atheist l, but I can hand milk.

Yes, any minute Miss Gee is going to bicycle through the village green to do the flowers for the vicar, waving at the jolly village bobby as he touches his cap to the squire and the cricket team break for tea outside Ye Olde Thatched Inn as some adorable urchins scamper past with their hoop and ball.

Clearly you haven't read my responses then.

If Jesus Christ is coming back soon then given the current state of the property market, most people probably don’t have time to relocate to the country.

Is anyone else reminded of The Good Life?

One man's meat is another man's poison.

Round this area which is not a city the community doesn’t need reviving thank you

and I gave up on fairy stories a long time ago - why not give some sci fi a go - you might enjoy it and the stories tend to be way more consistent than the bible

This seems like you have quite an unrealistic view of rural living! I live rurally, and I like it, but it took years and years to become part of the community. And real rural life has more focus on constant power outages and the worries of having enough coal or oil if snowed in than it does growing veg and doing crafts. I do so those things, but they are hobbies that I can only give a small amount of time to.

We spend hours travelling. It's an hour to work each way. My highschool kid travels an hour and a half each way to school. The reason a lot of people regret moving rurally is because they aren't realistic in what they imagine it will be like.