One Big Neighborhood

The following is from a piece I wrote several years ago. I include this bit because it shows the genesis of my thoughts on a topic I plan to write about much more extensively in coming weeks. All around me I see a myriad of problems caused because of the need to categorize others as superior or inferior. Seems we would rather do almost anything than treat others as our equal.
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I realize that we live at a time when society constantly tells us to be very careful with our words unless we offend someone perceived as being different. But if we allow ourselves to become too guarded, too fearful of offense, we shut ourselves down from normal communication. Instead of a natural interaction, we only see the difference that we are repeatedly told to be mindful of. I find this to be a very bad thing for our society and certain to cause further alienation and distrust.

My advice, forget all the PC labels and just treat everybody like a neighbor. In our own neighborhoods, even if we do not like a particular neighbor, we are likely to be civil because we are tied together by a common cause: we each desire a harmonious neighborhood. Even if we would not care to spend our evenings with Joe down the block, we are probably fairly polite because we never know when we may need his help. We may find Jane across the street rather peculiar, but we maintain a friendly acquaintance because we know she will keep an eye on our house while we are on vacation. We are connected to our neighbors.

Conversely, I notice that when people are on vacation, far away from their own neighborhood, many are quicker to lose patience. If the neighbor’s kid Sally nearly hits your car as she pulls out of her driveway, you will probably not be as quick to anger, as you might be if the exact same thing happened while on vacation in another city. After all, you know Sally. You know she’s just learning to drive. You also know she’s a reliable babysitter whose service you regularly need.

Now we only need to translate that sense of connection to everybody in our community and then beyond. After a hurricane or other large-scale disaster, this happens quite naturally. Suddenly, the entire community feels connected because of this shared experience. People want to help complete strangers because they understand what they are going through. But why wait for a disaster? After all, despite our differences, we are all pretty much alike in the ways that really matter.