RELATIONSHIPS:Sydneysiders pride themselves in community spirit, helping fellow Aussies when in need. They value time to socialise, and they like crowded summer events (e.g. Cricket, NYE, and Australia Day). They have numerous social connections but often few deep friends. They are often sexually active, with the assumption that something is not right if they are not.No?
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Pic on Flickr by inail1972.
5 comments:
I have a hunch that inner-city relationships (broadly conceived) seem to be marked by brevity, intensity and their sporadic occurrence. This translates into a very different expectation of, and involvement in, the communal life of the church. Weekly gatherings (or more regularly) are a strange - even quaint - idea for inner-city, adult converts. But more suburban models of church life are founded upon weekly attendance, bible study / small group etc etc.
Most of the ministers have been brought up in the suburbs, and interpret the inner-city style of relating and belonging as superficial,lacking commitment and discipline etc etc.
Interesting are the Gen Y experiments in inner-city intentional communities (e.g. the 'new monastic' movement) that seek to recover a daily rhythm in relationships with each other and neighbours.
Without deliberately adopting those strategies, these more intentional ways of relating evolved in both Darlinghurst and Glebe, especially among the under 35's
I'd wager your average 2000er wouldn't come out of their apartments for NYE or any of those public events. I'd be betting my money that most of the people in the city at events such as that are from outside the city. Unless of course they are going out to a work function or have purchased tickets to an offical NYE function.
@gb -- this rings true. And if it is true, requires a significant amount of lateral and prayerful thinking.
@Victor - I've already been invited to a NYE event by a city dweller! You are right that they are not having the party on the foreshore, but rather in their apartment. But they are into the moment.
I don't know if "Sydneysiders" really pride themselves on community spirit. I actually think there is a sense of disengagement from community in the city. People who move here from elsewhere say it's very hard to make new social contacts in Sydney, it is not a friendly city.
It's only just occurred to me in reading this that I'm part of a weekly gathering of people from a marketing / PR background. They meet on Friday mornings for conversation, coffee and occasional breakfast. Spiritual conversations, while not unheard of, are rare, but I would consider a number of the people I know from there to be friends (at least one has even been to my house!)
On top of that, a lot of them also meet on Friday nights for an extended drinking session that I have yet to make time for; it seems to be quite a hub of lasting relationships, though, and for people who have nothing else in common than a vaguely similar field of work!
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