Sean Dengler. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

What I love about rural America is how it is a microcosm of society. Everything is done on a smaller scale, and it shows how society works. When these small towns dot the landscape, they are each unique and self-reliant communities. While they lack chain stores, restaurants, and other amenities, small towns can have a considerable proportion of independently owned businesses.

I am no small business purist, but there is beauty in how these towns operate. The services are provided by community members and not large businesses. Whether it is the auto repair shop, local restaurant, or salon, these businesses come together to serve the needs of the people. Two pumps for a gas station work fine. No need to supersize it.

These small businesses and other community members all send their kids to the same school. Background does not matter for getting into a school. Children get to experience children from different economic and societal backgrounds while playing sports and participating in activities together.

This is the beauty (and annoyance to some) of small-town society. It is hard to have a community separate from one another when they need to be reliant on one another. While it is becoming harder for small communities to be self-reliant, it is still a testament to the community for staying together in the face of the economic headwinds. As cliché as it sounds, it is true that when there is a will, there is a way.

Compared to living in the largest metro in the state where the amenities are plentiful, the sense of a tight-knit community is not as strong. People believe someone else will do the work or provide the needed services. It is easier to live within isolation. Plenty of other fish in the pond exist to help the community. With multiple schools, public and private, children from diverse backgrounds can go their entire childhood without being exposed to those who are different from them.

The chain stores and restaurants compete more directly with small businesses and the social hierarchy is more ingrained as families who have been around for generations sit atop the mountain top more than those in rural communities. The separation between people is more prevalent, and those who have been around for generations know how to use the ins and outs more than those new to the community. Compared to a rural setting, everyone sees everyone at the gas station. Bigger is not always better.

Rural societies are one of the best places to gauge the health of the country. They are a good representation of what is facing Americans due to the egalitarian, less segmented community. What happens in rural towns whether it is societal or economic will eventually affect the rest of society. It is important to keep an eye on the pressures these communities face to know what is coming down the pipe. To ignore this microcosm of American society is to ignore the future, and this is a mistake far too often made.

Sean Dengler is a writer, comedian, farmer, and host of the Pandaring Talk podcast who grew up on a farm between Traer and Dysart. You can reach him at sean.h.dengler@gmail.com.