Worldliness differs by mode of living, not by location in the world

Evidence

What I am saying then is simply this. Once the individual has learned to code urban locations, once he knows who and what to expect in them, he does not require any further instructions on this topic to make his way through the world of stangers. What he re- quires, rather, is knowledge of himself. — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 640 (#complicates, via linked claim)

From this perspective, membership in alternative status groups appears to be a clever strategy for oppressed and unprivileged individuals to maximize their status. But there is an obvious flaw in this approach: our most immediate community can only provide local status—the ranking inside the small group. Research has shown that local status is more important to personal happiness than global status, especially for self-esteem. And life is easier when living among sympathetic peers. But even if we hide in an alternative status group, we can’t escape our global status—the general ranking within broader society. For most, a high local status won’t translate into a high global status, which is required for access to the best benefits. A surfer can be a great hero among other surfers but just a “beach bum” up the shore. The wider the gap between the esteem we feel inside our status group and outside in the “real world,” the more we may feel inferior. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 101 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Having a place requires not being wholly absorbed in that place — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 1169; Each species inhabits its own perceptual world or Umwelt, not a shared reality — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 1414; The quality of a place and season transforms the same activity into something different — Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac: With Other…, 197 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Navigating urban life ultimately depends on self-knowledge, not location knowledge #complicates (0.73) — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 640
• Local status within subcultures cannot substitute for global status in wider society #complicates (0.72) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 101