Last night I had an enjoyable chat with my neighbors. Nothing major or profound...just getting caught up on jobs and children and such. It was the first time in months.
In my childhood neighborhood, we knew all the neighbors. Knew them well, in fact. We knew that Mr. Stokes had two major dislikes: 11 year-olds making divots in his yard when we practiced golf (we'd never even played golf "for real" so I have no idea why we were practicing) and 11 year-olds ogling his 18-year-old high school cheerleader daughter. We knew the Bailey's grandchildren came over every Sunday. We knew about Mrs. Lawyer getting a divorce. Everybody knew us and we knew everybody.
Of my current neighbors, I don't even know any of their last names. Sure, Alabama was WAY less transient than suburban Dallas but I believe times have changed...and not to come down with a case of "Good Old Days Syndrome" but I think two things are primary in this shift: Architecture and Pressure.
Regarding architecture: The homes where I live are designed with 8 foot privacy fences, no front porches, and two car garages on the front of the house. One of my neighbors comes and goes from a day at work and is never seen. She pops out of her garage in her car around 7AM and pops back in around 6PM (I'm not sure I could pick her out of a police line up, but I could report her car to the cops with amazing detail). We're adjacent to four backyards and you can't see what their dog looks like. I read somewhere that parents taking chairs to their children's soccer practices constituted "America's New Front Porch."
Regarding pressure: With Americans working so much all they want to do is come home and cocoon. Simply spending time with family or just vegging out or even working more after a day at the office are all things that can be done inside.
Seems to me that the Judeo/Christian mindset of relationships being primary above all else has been lost. I enjoyed reclaiming a bit of that by hanging out with my neighbors last night...even with the muggy weather and mosquito bites. I like the idea of community in whatever forms it takes.
In my childhood neighborhood, we knew all the neighbors. Knew them well, in fact. We knew that Mr. Stokes had two major dislikes: 11 year-olds making divots in his yard when we practiced golf (we'd never even played golf "for real" so I have no idea why we were practicing) and 11 year-olds ogling his 18-year-old high school cheerleader daughter. We knew the Bailey's grandchildren came over every Sunday. We knew about Mrs. Lawyer getting a divorce. Everybody knew us and we knew everybody.
Of my current neighbors, I don't even know any of their last names. Sure, Alabama was WAY less transient than suburban Dallas but I believe times have changed...and not to come down with a case of "Good Old Days Syndrome" but I think two things are primary in this shift: Architecture and Pressure.
Regarding architecture: The homes where I live are designed with 8 foot privacy fences, no front porches, and two car garages on the front of the house. One of my neighbors comes and goes from a day at work and is never seen. She pops out of her garage in her car around 7AM and pops back in around 6PM (I'm not sure I could pick her out of a police line up, but I could report her car to the cops with amazing detail). We're adjacent to four backyards and you can't see what their dog looks like. I read somewhere that parents taking chairs to their children's soccer practices constituted "America's New Front Porch."
Regarding pressure: With Americans working so much all they want to do is come home and cocoon. Simply spending time with family or just vegging out or even working more after a day at the office are all things that can be done inside.
Seems to me that the Judeo/Christian mindset of relationships being primary above all else has been lost. I enjoyed reclaiming a bit of that by hanging out with my neighbors last night...even with the muggy weather and mosquito bites. I like the idea of community in whatever forms it takes.
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