At smaller scales you are less likely to experience imperial dynamics impacting your life, which is a major generator of dissatisfaction: the notion of "good fo

At smaller scales you are less likely to experience imperial dynamics impacting your life, which is a major generator of dissatisfaction: the notion of "good for the nation" when you have an element of empire in play is directed around grand narratives of self-perpetuation of the empire, or resistance against that empire, versus narratives of ordinary life. From that you get the deeper stratifications and more extreme outcomes. Either you are rushing out in front to lead the nation to greatness, or you are making "necessary sacrifices", or you are plotting some kind of scheme to protect your domain. Those things impact all kinds of life decisions. Asking for less, lowering the tempo of life and normalizing lower material conditions, calms down that notion, even if it means you don't live as long or experience as much of civilization. At the same time, when there's bad weather, hunger, illness or other catastrophes, a yearning to address those things or move to a place where they are being addressed does emerge. I believe there's a balance in that where the answers of the cutting edge are often misguided and wasteful, while the portions that are genuinely wise can easily be forgotten within a generation.