FREE ESSAY ON YOUR LAND & MY LAND

YOUR LAND & MY LAND

Your Land and My Land
There are many differences in a city when compared to a rural setting. One of the largest
differences deals with that of the visual surroundings. Cities are filled with buildings,
streets traffic and people, while the country is filled with trees, mountains, streams
and animals. With such commotion in this city-type setting, the natural environment is
altered a great deal. Natural wildlife, which runs rampant in the spacious great
outdoors, is seemingly non-existent in urban areas. This, however, is not the case by any
means. It is necessary to look a little closer to find wildlife on the land of a city.
The wildlife that still exists inside the city has learned to adapt to their environment
as means of survival. Pigeons can be found eating breadcrumbs from an old man's hands in
the park. Rats scour the sewers and alleys for scraps. Squirrels relax in the trees and
make their moves for food accordingly, while avoiding some hazards such as cars and
people that surround them. These are all examples of how animals can adapt to the setting
and survive.
In the country or any rural area, nature functions in a different manner. People must
learn to adapt to their surroundings, while animals and nature continue to live on
peacefully. While driving down a country highway at night, one must watch carefully for
deer, moose or any other type of animal that could have wandered into the middle of the
road. Roads themselves leave people in the country dealing more with nature's wrath. Snow
on a windy dirt road up a mountain becomes much more of a hindrance as 
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compared to snow that would be plowed away and kept melted with salt on a flat city
street. A large tree that could have fallen in the road out in the country could take
days to be cleared; yet in the city such a tree would be removed in an immediate fashion.

Visiting nature or animals while in the city, can be accomplished by a trip to the park
or zoo. Both parks and zoos inside the city are very high maintenance, at the same time
costly. In rural area, parks have existed forever and upkeep is not the hardest of tasks
to accomplish. In the country, even if a park is unavailable, one is still surrounded by
a sense of calm while animals co-exist with humans. When visiting a zoo in the city, it
is obvious to see that animals are not around by their own free will. Being held captive
and surrounded by bars limits the ability for animals to roam freely ad live their life
the way it was meant to be. Psychologically, this may have something to do with the
stereotype of city people not being as hospitable as country dwellers, in general. In the
hustle and bustle of the city, many people have a tendency to get so wrapped up and
trapped in their typically fast-paced life, leaving little opportunity to unwind, relax
and basically rest the brain.
Appreciation of nature would also have to be one of the biggest differences. One who
lives in the country or rural area that is surrounded by nature day in and day out, might
not appreciate what they have around them. Yet one who lives in the city and escapes to a
park, zoo, or even vacations to a secluded area; enjoys every minute of the peace and
tranquility. Respect is kept by a city-dweller for the land that remains unscathed by
mankind and its every growing population and industrialization. For without such rural
areas, one wouldn't have a place to go ease the mind. This goes to 
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show how people can so easily take things for granted.
Another major difference that is easily noticed is the many sounds heard. In a country
field one can put his or her ear to the wind and listen to grass blowing, birds chirping,
water flowing in a nearby stream and maybe the faint rumble of your neighbor's tractor.
Those little vibrations from that tractor are a fraction of the noise people are subject
to everyday in every city. Motors running, horns honking, hundreds upon thousands of
people talking, and your own brain trying to take in everything are perfect examples of
the loud sounds heard in the average urban area. Many people who live in cities accept
this and go on about their lives. Other people would be driven insane within a matter of
days. This is an example of how a person's environment during the course of his or her
life directly shapes who that person is.
This next difference focuses on a different sense. When someone takes in a big breath of
fresh air in the mountains or the wide-open farmlands that person will be able to open up
the lungs and almost smell the sensation of cool clean air. Pine trees, strawberry fields
and of course, cow manure are some common scents in the rural setting. In a city there is
also a wide array of odors one can smell. Unfortunately, one of the first that comes to
mind is the exhaust fumes from the ever-increasing amount of cars and trucks on the road.
Another rather unpleasant smell is the trash that sometimes does not get picked up early
enough. There are however, many appealing smells in a city as well. Picture a hungry
tourist walking down a busy street. One could be overwhelmed by the smells of many
different kinds of cuisine. Indian food, Italian food, Turkish food, and Chinese food are
just a few choices one has in a city. In a scarcely populated area, it's 
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either Joe's Diner or your freezer for the everyday dining experience.
Either way you look at it, there are pros and cons to each of the described settings. All
in all, the busier city life has access to more choices, more action, and more overall
excitement. The downside to that lifestyle is the stress, noise and air pollution, and
other unsightly scenes and smells. The rural, or countryside area, on the other hand, has
other intangible advantages such as the calm, easy routine in a laid back society. The
natural sounds and openness of this atmosphere seem to let loose a feeling of serenity
that is too difficult to describe in words. Although there are many things that are hard
to acquire and help in certain situations may be hard to come by, the rural areas
definitely have a quality all to themselves. In the end, a good quote to live by is "To
each his own".