This for me is the million $$ question. I don't feel part of the social collective where I live. I perceive the social collective here as insular, mean and narrow-minded. It's a stunning part of the world geographically- endless pristine beaches, lakes, whales, dolphins etc. It's nice to be able to breathe fresh air, and live within a 10 minute radius to work, and schools.
It is an interesting dichotomy to me then, that the people here are so mean spirited. What is valued here is conformity- there is no celebrating differences. Even though most of the 10K population here consists of retirees aged anywhere from 60+ years, that have moved from the city, there is a pervasive small-town narrow mindedness that feels so stifling. Most are of Anglo-Saxon extraction, with a handful of families of other nationalities, and say 15% indigenous Aboriginal Australians. They are also way more comfortable or accepting of people that fit a stereotype (& I don't!). An example would be enrolling my children in school and presenting them with a conscientious objection to vaccination form (I chose not to vaccinate and had to get paperwork signed off by a GP)- they had NEVER seen one of those before! Another example is not being married. Another is dressing up (which I do for work, or else I look like the work-experience girl).
So where to from here? I wish I knew. I am not looking at moving for 'safety', because as the Cs say its not where you are, but who you are & what you see, that's important. I just want to be where I feel I belong.
It is an interesting dichotomy to me then, that the people here are so mean spirited. What is valued here is conformity- there is no celebrating differences. Even though most of the 10K population here consists of retirees aged anywhere from 60+ years, that have moved from the city, there is a pervasive small-town narrow mindedness that feels so stifling. Most are of Anglo-Saxon extraction, with a handful of families of other nationalities, and say 15% indigenous Aboriginal Australians. They are also way more comfortable or accepting of people that fit a stereotype (& I don't!). An example would be enrolling my children in school and presenting them with a conscientious objection to vaccination form (I chose not to vaccinate and had to get paperwork signed off by a GP)- they had NEVER seen one of those before! Another example is not being married. Another is dressing up (which I do for work, or else I look like the work-experience girl).
So where to from here? I wish I knew. I am not looking at moving for 'safety', because as the Cs say its not where you are, but who you are & what you see, that's important. I just want to be where I feel I belong.