> To me, this reveals the fundamental problem which, I argue, is
> unsolvable: namely, the mundane and venerable issue of dissimilar
> conditions of life leading to different (and often, competing) belief
> sets, outcomes, definitions, pathologies and, most critically,
> fantasies about what it all means.
This "problem" is solved over and over again in human history. One way of life, along with the belief sets and values, replaces another. At times, this is a gradual process; at other times, abrupt. The urban/rural rift in the U. S. will be resolved by the continuing trend toward industrialization and urbanization. For better and worse, "small town life" will be soon be as quaint as "pioneer life": an ossified commodity that is consumed by urban dwellers on a field trip.
Miles