"slow is smooth, smooth is fast" - not sure where the origin is, perhaps military, but some of my friends/coworkers have laughed when I said this before. To me, personally, it has always turned out to be true. When you're working on something, don't rush it, take the time to do it right. This typically saves time in the long run because you tend to avoid rework.
A lot of other "bleeding edge" technologies that blow up and become difficult to use end up with new abstractions, and then abstractions for the abstractions, and the original problem the tool was meant to solve is now not the focus any longer.
I live in a small town, about 20min away from the larger city, with FTTH and reasonable cost of living. There are disadvantages to living in the country (you have to drive everywhere), but it's just a balance.I definitely enjoy zero crime, no traffic, fresh air and a large lot so I am not crammed with my neighbors. The downside is that I can't walk everywhere, but that is fine.
Indeed, it breeds apathy. After a while you literally give up on making improvements because nobody else cares to do so, and you just hit massive walls every time you attempt to make change. The best thing you can do is find a different place to work, or start your own business.