A Small Country

Here's a small country, just a few of us...
We have our gadgets, but we don't need them.
We have our weapons, but keep them out of sight.

We take death seriously and shun travel.
There are cars and boats, but no one rides them.
We've gone back to a time of knotted cords.
We like our local food and clothing.
We like where we live, and enjoy our daily habits.

The next town is so near,
we can hear their cocks crowing and their dogs barking,
but we grow old and die without bothering to make a visit.

- Laozi Daodejing Ch. 80