I remember when all the neighbors in the neighborhood knew each other. The people would congregate on each other’s porches and share stories until after dark while the kids were playing until they were forced inside to take a bath. And it wasn’t uncommon to just walk into your neighbors house if you needed something like sugar, flour or whatever.

But Times, They Are A Changin

There’s been a switch.

Something in society has changed. We have all this “social media,” but it’s really everything but social. People don’t answer their phones, but if you text them as soon as it quits ringing they respond within seconds.

What the hell?

What are we afraid of?

We don’t have to get along with and like everyone, but we can at least be considerate and tolerant of different views.

Can’t we?

Maybe it’s not possible anymore. But if we don’t figure out how to get along better things could get real ugly and make life more challenging than it already is. And really for no particular reason. It’s really pretty simple. If you don’t like or get along with someone, don’t hang around them. And don’t go out of your way to annoy them. Just avoid them.

Sure, one bad apple can ruin a barrel. But why not remove that bad apple and avoid it rather than changing the way we behave to appease it?

I read the following excerpt in an email from Michael T. Smith and it inspired me to write this. After you read the following, I think you’ll agree.

Tear Down the Walls

I came home from work. There was a note on our apartment door, “Workers will be installing partitions on the balconies on July 21st and 22nd”. It was the 20th, but when I entered our apartment, there were two men on our balcony, putting the final touches on the new wall that separated our side of the balcony from our neighbor’s side.

They told me they started early.

Previously, there was only a four foot wrought iron fence between us. We’d spent a lot of time over the last couple of years sitting outside talking with them. It was our common area. There was never a problem. They became friends soon after they moved in. We enjoyed the conversations we’ve shared.

We became family.

Sadly, other apartment dwellers in our complex do not get along. There have been tensions, complaints and disagreements …so much so, the management of our complex decided to put up walls.

We feel segregated from family and friends.

We don’t need more walls. We need more openness. We need to communicate. We need to talk, learn from others and teach them. Sharing is the gift that grows. Walls prevent communication, grow suspicions and divide people and cultures.

There are those who want to build walls between countries. I just learned on a minute scale, walls don’t work.

Tear down the walls!

Let’s share!

Let’s talk …communicate.

Tear down the walls!
Michael T. Smith