Being Good Neighbors

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We have good neighbors. When we moved into our house many years ago, the woman across the street brought us a loaf of fresh baked bread. When a storm struck the city and knocked down trees, people worked together to remove them from the road. One neighbor cuts an elderly neighbor's grass in summer and shovels his driveway in winter. Last year a neighbor divided her iris and set the extras on a table with a sign “free to good home.” I adopted some of these orphans and they are growing happily in my garden.

Many people in our country have forgotten what it means to be a good neighbor. Instead of working together to solve the many problems our society faces, the people who were silent or attempted to silence others when those in power made decisions which impacted negatively upon our economy, our personal welfare, and our status in the world now believe the solution is to condemn big government and its alleged intrusion into their daily lives. They have jobs, and homes, and access to health care, so why should they care about those who do not.

Common sense and civility have been replaced with name calling, negativity, and hypocrisy. These people, whom I call The Madhatters, come to the table empty headed and empty handed. They complain about attempts being made to solve problems, but offer no solutions of their own. They claim they don’t want the government interfering with their lives, but many receive Medicare, Social Security, Disability and/or Unemployment benefits while wanting to deny similar benefits to others. They see no contradiction in a “wanna be” politician receiving $250,000 in farm subsidies while stating that the government should not provide universal health care.

Photographs of gatherings of the Madhatters show a sea of white faces, grey hair, flags and guns. Like the followers of cultist Jim Jones, they see themselves as ignored, disenfranchised and used by society. They drink in the poisonous words spouted by their leaders and know-it-all talk show hosts and accept lies and misinformation as fact. We have become a society that judges success by wealth, values personal welfare over that of others, and equates capitalism with democracy. We have forgotten that our founding fathers lived in a time when neighbors helped each other and people believed in the Golden Rule. I want to live in a neighborhood, a country, a world where people care about each other, where we share our bounty with those less fortunate, and where tea and sympathy replace cyanide laced grape drinks.

The individual who remembers that we are responsible for the beasts, children and those who can no longer fare for themselves - that is the individual who will prosper and thrive in times both harsh and plentiful. The individual who cannot or will not acknowledge these most basic tenets of humanity... are destined for a life of inhumanity and may be the one flailing their hands when they themselves most need assistance. ~Unknown
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