Be a Neighbor

So we live in this ultra modern world.  We are connected at the speed of light from one end of the globe to the other.  We are bombarded with twenty four hour news channels.  We know every time Iran gets a step closer to building a nuke.  We have constant cameras on every seat of power in the world.  We have apps on our phones that instant message us every time a Kardashian gets arrested.  And we literally know every conniption fit that Kim Jong-un has.(he's the leader of North Korea)  We have pictures blasted at us of starving children in Africa and refugees in Asia.  If you are not careful you can get sucked in to a world wide web of conspiracy, or a humanitarian effort to feed three billion children.

There was I time, not that long ago, that we didn't have all this at our finger tips.  While I would admit the information age has it's up side, there are some things that it has damaged.  Can you name all your neighbors?  Growing up we knew everyone on the street we lived on.  We knew every one's parents and where their dad's worked.  Do you know where your neighbor works?  I didn't need the President of the United States to speak on global television to find out my neighbor lost his job.  Most of the time my friend would tell me his dad lost his job and that meant no vacation for them.  I didn't need some news anchor covered in make up to tell me that gas prices were sky high.  I knew exactly how many cents gas had risen by the number of curse words my grandfather used after a trip to the pump.  War was not a subject that you just tossed around like the weather.  If a country threatened war the conversation quickly turned to who in the neighborhood had a son in the army or had just filled out his selective service card.  Today's talking heads and conspiracy theorists need to realize war is not a chess game.  It is a deadly activity that involves people that belong to a family in your neighborhood.  But I guess if you never leave your cubicle that is not a concern.

I'm not saying it's easy.  I'm just as addicted to my Internet as most.  Taking the first step is always the hardest but trust me, your neighbors are very real and very interesting.  Letting your neighbor talk about the business he's building is more enlightening than watching a so called analyst talk about his new book that preaches the latest conspiracy theory.  Learning that your neighbor's kid made the little league travel team is more encouraging than watching some steroid injected fool make a free throw.  Cutting your neighbor's grass on the week he has knee surgery does so much more for the soul than watching some reality TV show.  So don't try to be the savior of the world, just be there for a neighbor during a difficult time.  Forget all the conspiracies, just offer your experiences on life to a neighbor at a crossroads.

"Won't you be my neighbor?" Fred Rogers