Fear, Loneliness, and Your Neighborhood
I have cut drivers off who are just trying to merge into traffic.
I have walked into buildings and not held the door open for the person behind me.
I have emptied my shopping cart and not put the cart in the “return cart here” coral.
I have examined apples in the produce section without being welcoming to the others picking out their fruits.
I have stood in elevators with 5 other people and not exchanged even a shared acknowledgment of the other’s existence.
I have lived in city buildings, sharing a wall with the same person for many years without knowing their name.
I have taken my privilege as a cis hetero white male United States citizen in the second half of the 20th century for granted.
None of these things have been productive. I can do better. I promise I will.
We are living in time of unprecedented fear. The outcome of that fear is loneliness and isolation. This isolation fractures our neighborhoods, and the lack of community for, “we the people,” leads to demoralization. It’s a slippery slope, but logical.
What can we do? Spend time getting to know our neighbors. We must take the time to see each other.