Ah, yes. I remember community. I grew up in a suburb of Decatur, Georgia called Belvedere Park. We knew the names of our neighbors and interacted frequently. The kids all played together, and the adults were on a first-name basis. Nobody asked about your politics or religion, and we did not wear our opinions on our sleeves. About the only thing that divided us was football loyalties. Some neighbors a few doors down were Alabama fans and kind of pushy about it. (This was when Bear Bryant was the 500-pound gorilla of college football.) There were a few squabbles, but we knew each other and got along very well for the most part.
Now I live in the town of Friendswood, Texas, perhaps the most misnamed town in America except for Progress, Mississippi (joke). The only friendly neighbor is the Muslim family next door. Others will speak if I address them directly, but only briefly and sullenly. Otherwise, you never get so much as a friendly wave. Mostly, they studiously ignore you, like the kid in my class one time who sat on the back row staring at his laptop and never looked at me. In fact, I hardly ever see them. I am sure there are kids in the neighborhood, but I never see them except when on their way to or from school.
Why the change? I can't think of anything except that Americans like each other much less than they did sixty years ago.
Neighbors are great when they're great, but having just 1 bad one can really be bad. (Speaking from experience, unfortunately!) I'm glad you have a loving community - we all need a little (sometimes a lot) help from our friends!
Wonderful thoughts, Ed!
Ah, yes. I remember community. I grew up in a suburb of Decatur, Georgia called Belvedere Park. We knew the names of our neighbors and interacted frequently. The kids all played together, and the adults were on a first-name basis. Nobody asked about your politics or religion, and we did not wear our opinions on our sleeves. About the only thing that divided us was football loyalties. Some neighbors a few doors down were Alabama fans and kind of pushy about it. (This was when Bear Bryant was the 500-pound gorilla of college football.) There were a few squabbles, but we knew each other and got along very well for the most part.
Now I live in the town of Friendswood, Texas, perhaps the most misnamed town in America except for Progress, Mississippi (joke). The only friendly neighbor is the Muslim family next door. Others will speak if I address them directly, but only briefly and sullenly. Otherwise, you never get so much as a friendly wave. Mostly, they studiously ignore you, like the kid in my class one time who sat on the back row staring at his laptop and never looked at me. In fact, I hardly ever see them. I am sure there are kids in the neighborhood, but I never see them except when on their way to or from school.
Why the change? I can't think of anything except that Americans like each other much less than they did sixty years ago.
Neighbors are great when they're great, but having just 1 bad one can really be bad. (Speaking from experience, unfortunately!) I'm glad you have a loving community - we all need a little (sometimes a lot) help from our friends!
Thanks for the guidance and good stories of community. Sharing to the Humanists of West Florida.