I should probably post something before the end of day. I’ve tried to think up a bunch of stuff and really there is only one word that comes to mind…
“community”.
The word kept popping up in my brain as a topic of discussion and I really have no idea why. But there it was like a NEON sign just beeping “community, community”.
I keep remembering a law professor I had in college talking about how criminal behaviour is never really eradicated it’s just moved. And where it is moved depends on the…say it with me “community”.
See there used to be a time in the country where everyone felt relatively safe. Neighbors knew neighbors, blocks knew blocks and everyone knew if someone was supposed to be at Mr. Johnson’s house or not. Thusly, a community created a standard of safety within a town, city, etc.
I bring this up because of two things.
1) New Orleans. I saw some amazing finger pointing and hand wringing mostly stoked by those nasty buggers in the reporting business. Rumors flew out of control, and race baiting began to be cast into the collective mind of the US. People jumping the gun to blame the Federal Government, the State, the people that live there. But what I really didn’t find is alot of stories about how neighbors grabbed their neighbors and took them out of town. I didn’t hear about the charity that people handed to those around them.
2) I don’t know my neighbors. I don’t KNOW THEM, haven’t even met them. That’s kind of sad don’t ya think?
So this week I’m going to try to get up enough nerve, buy some brownies and go over there and introduce myself to them with a big smile, just so I know who they are.
I believe that “community” has slowly been destroyed by things like television, garage doors and the overall “contained” society. We have stopped going out and more oft than not tend to look in. How can we be experienced if we don’t experience? The person next door could be a future friend, husband, wife, or just a distant neighbor. But I’d rather extend the hand of friendship than be closed off in my own little world, grabbing all my things like some societal grinch.
I’ll tell you how it goes.
This is my rant for the Friday afternoon before I leave. I hope everyone has a grand ole weekend, I know I will.
Spacekicker
