Jesus and Muhammad traveled to the wilderness to develop their
teachings. Even Gautama Buddha is said to have sat quietly
beneath the rural Bohdi tree while he waited for enlightenment.
But once they knew what needed to be said, all three men
travelled to the closest city to convey the message. It may take
a village to raise a child, but it takes a city to change the
world. Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and influential mortals like
Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Eva Peron,
Marie Antoinette, Chairman Mao; they all gave their impassioned
speeches, teachings, and at-times arm-twisting arguments, in
cities. Cities are where the spokespeople for civilization come
to urge the rest of us to follow a new path.