I received a spam letter today and while they just wanted to sell me another product that I don’t need, they did have some interesting points about our society. Decades ago, most people knew their neighbors. Not only did most neighbors know one another, they were friends. They were the kind of friends who were there to watch your kids if you had an appointment. If someone in a family was sick or a death occurred, those neighbors were there to deliver home-cooked meals and lend a hand in any way. Most of the time, they were there at the back fence or on the front porch chatting or invited over to share dinner on a Sunday. Neighborhoods were safer because people looked out for each other.
Today people are busy rushing to and from work. Dropping children off at the daycare and picking them up after work makes us so exhausted that by the end of day there is barely enough energy to prepare dinner. Dinner often comes from a box or a fast food window. A friend of mine is so busy she hired someone to teach her son how to ride his bike. In this fast-paced modern world, most people don’t have time to know their neighbors’ names.
Even with our busy lives, team spirit survives in this generation. When my husband was sent to Iraq with the Army National Guard, I was amazed at how our community reached out to the families of the soldiers. Our city offered counseling to hurting people, organized special dinners to raise money for needy families, etc. The list could fill pages of the many examples of kindness offered to military families, soldiers, and needy people in Iraq. Yes, team spirit does live on.
Leisa