Get to Know Your Neighbor

When I think of the communities I belong to I come up with a few like my neighborhood, my daughter's school community, and the church community.

I have lived in my neighborhood for quite a few years now. At first I didn't interact much with my neighbors, but as time has gone on we have begun to speak more often. Seeing each other outside frequently naturally leads to conversation and, in some cases, friendship. This neighborhood is a subdivision with one main entrance so the boundaries are clearly defined. There are smaller divisions within the community based on life stages. People with children, older adults, and young adults tend to form relationships within their own groups. The values of the community are mutual respect of other people and property in the neighborhood and most people are good neighbors. However, there is always that one family in the neighborhood that has the loud cars coming in and the police showing up at their door at least once a month. This family doesn't seem to associate with anyone from our subdivision. Maybe they are holding onto connections in their old neighborhood instead of forming new ones.

The church community is not based on where you live. It is based on which church you go to or maybe even which religion you believe in. I have been a member of the church since the day I was born, but my involvement has wavered over the years. I went to Catholic school for 8 years. This meant that I went to church four days a week every week during that time. The church and school were very close and I spent a lot of my free time with the priests and nuns even when we weren't in church. It was a really wonderful experience. Now that I have moved out of the area and the school has closed I don't go to church as often. It has probably been at least three years since I have set foot in a church. Sometimes I miss it, but even if I did go back to church it can never be the way it was.

This blog post really did make me think about the communities we belong to and wonder if we appreciate them as much as we should. How many people can name five of their neighbors? Do people make an effort to get to know the person next to them at church? With the development of social media sites I worry that people are giving up real human connections for just another fake "friend". I don't think 100 facebook "friends" would equal the warmth and true support of a real friend. We need to take the time and be open to making real friends with people that really matter, the people in our communities.