posted on Dec, 5 2007 @ 05:08 AM
Your best post by far, my friend.
I often contemplate the same thing, and all the causes for the current state of constant mistrust we seem to find ourselves in. It honestly brings
feelings of anger and sadness, and I don't really mess around with those emotions. As much as people don't think our society has changed, we have,
and rapidly in the last ten years. Even faster in the past seven.
Even personally, I remember similar childhood memories. We used to have seasonal block parties hosted by two Mormon families, and they were something
you'd see out of a movie. This sense of community filled the air, everybody was happy, everybody dropped their differences, or petty grudges and just
had an amazing time. Together.
Now it seems all of us here are in the same situation. There's almost no communication with our neighbors. We're shutouts to the world, just trying
to maintain stability in our own families with no time to spare for our neighbors, our community. It's amazing to see how outside pressures can come
between people so quickly and easily.
Media has a lot to do with it, but where is all of our responsibility? To reach out to our neighbors with open arms. As much as media portrays the
outside world as murderers, thieves, child molesters, we're not. We're so afraid of what our neighbors are capable of in a negative light, seems
we've almost given up or disregard what they can do in a positive one. We let outside pressures run our lives to such an extreme that we've given up
hope in our fellow human being. I can tell you right now, if I was your neighbor, prick or not, I would do anything I could to help you out. Money,
shoveling your walk, fight your abusive husband (jokes), you know? Whatever.
What has happened in the last 15 years? The last 10 years? Though, I know what's happened the last 7, but I feel that the change in community
structure was coming long before 9/11/2001. I do feel the kind of distrust, suspicion, and anger has accelerated since then, but I still don't find
that the root cause of the state we're at now and currently surpassing.
Makes me afraid that this world keeps getting uglier and uglier the older I get. I can't tell if it's my outlook, or if my environment is being
dismantled as I go. Maybe our immediate environment isn't changing, but maybe we're becoming more aware of our surroundings and the weight they
carry in every single one of our lives. It's hard to say. All I know is I miss that sense of community. The times when you could rely on your
neighbors instead of ignore them except for the pathetic attempt at noticing one another in the form of a hand wave. Bums me out.
"Oh, the times they are changin."