Yuck- that was a poor response below from me. Rather meandering. I got a little emotional I think. The country is in such free fall, and no one seems to have the time to notice...
Great info John. Very interesting. My random comments-
In the graph you shared I can see the COVID pandemic having an influence … more social isolation, more pessimism about others while we hunker down and door-dash for pizza…a feeling that the nation is under threat. During those early, confusing quarantine days, a new neighbor moved in next to me and he walked over near our driveway to offer help on some work we were doing in the yard. I greeted him (from about 15 yards- he might be infected!), thanked him for the offer. We exchanged names, I told him we’d be fine, and he went back in his house. I seriously didn’t know how close I wanted him due to COVID. COVID was so new at that time, and the news online so dreadful. I wanted to stay away from anyone I didn’t have to live with. This was certainly a poor start with my new neighbor. Our neighborly relationship now is only slightly better.
We are indeed isolated in suburbia! And there are, as your post makes clear, there are many reasons for it.
My kids (ages 24 and 34) have the opinion that no one outside the immediate family cares about them in any way. Sadly, I think they may be right. The U.S. is now driven by stuff and dollars. [The legal drinking age is 21, in my state most people running for various elections must be 25 or above – yet the Uvalde shooter was able to buy an assault rifle at age 18. And let’s be honest, the age is low to sell more guns—it has nothing to do with the Constitution. There are of course many other examples where dollars mean more than people.]
When I was a child I remember that we knew all our neighbors. We did things for and with one another. We had no computers, no cell phones… we had a party line (do you know what that is?) and had to wait to make a call… a very different world. In many ways a better world.
I’d say more but this is too much. Thanks again for making me think. Have a blessed day!
Yuck- that was a poor response below from me. Rather meandering. I got a little emotional I think. The country is in such free fall, and no one seems to have the time to notice...
Great info John. Very interesting. My random comments-
In the graph you shared I can see the COVID pandemic having an influence … more social isolation, more pessimism about others while we hunker down and door-dash for pizza…a feeling that the nation is under threat. During those early, confusing quarantine days, a new neighbor moved in next to me and he walked over near our driveway to offer help on some work we were doing in the yard. I greeted him (from about 15 yards- he might be infected!), thanked him for the offer. We exchanged names, I told him we’d be fine, and he went back in his house. I seriously didn’t know how close I wanted him due to COVID. COVID was so new at that time, and the news online so dreadful. I wanted to stay away from anyone I didn’t have to live with. This was certainly a poor start with my new neighbor. Our neighborly relationship now is only slightly better.
We are indeed isolated in suburbia! And there are, as your post makes clear, there are many reasons for it.
My kids (ages 24 and 34) have the opinion that no one outside the immediate family cares about them in any way. Sadly, I think they may be right. The U.S. is now driven by stuff and dollars. [The legal drinking age is 21, in my state most people running for various elections must be 25 or above – yet the Uvalde shooter was able to buy an assault rifle at age 18. And let’s be honest, the age is low to sell more guns—it has nothing to do with the Constitution. There are of course many other examples where dollars mean more than people.]
When I was a child I remember that we knew all our neighbors. We did things for and with one another. We had no computers, no cell phones… we had a party line (do you know what that is?) and had to wait to make a call… a very different world. In many ways a better world.
I’d say more but this is too much. Thanks again for making me think. Have a blessed day!