Casting On

Knitting gives you great opportunities to think about things and come up with new ideas. I will be sharing ideas from my knitting on this blog, and I welcome you to do the same.

Today I was reflecting on the snobbery some city-dwellers express toward those who live in the suburbs. To be sure, there is justifiable pride in making your way in a city. Living in close proximity with many other people requires you to make continuous small negotiations and to set precise boundaries about your values and how you interact. It’s a huge skillset.

Additionally, cities are great manifesters of economies of scale, and they reduce people’s carbon footprint because the logistics of human consumption are simplified.

In a city, there is a rhythm set by everyone working on their own goals while making allowances for others to accomplish theirs.

But living outside of a city, in a suburb or a rural area, is a valid choice as well. When you live in a city, the city itself is one of your relationships, and some people choose not to have that relationship in order to free their minds for other things. Many times, the “other things” are big conceptual projects. Here in Silicon Valley, there are a lot of thinkers.

Those conceptual endeavors lead to monumental improvements in people’s lives.