I am a student at Unity College in Maine and am currently enrolled in a class entitled “Culture and the Environment” that specifically focuses on inspiration. A recent speaker in our class, Dave Oakes, was from an organization called C.E.L.L. that’s involved in developing sustainability in areas of countries that are in need of some type of development to survive and thrive.

One part of his speech that needs attention was how well these rural, underdeveloped areas interact and perform as neighbors. They all help each other out the best they can by spreading their wealth equally to others in their neighborhood. These people together have somewhat of a family relationship even though there isn’t truly any relation among them. It seems to me that today across the country, or at least in my neighborhood, that this positive interaction between neighbors hardly exists.

I live in a residential condominium where I’m closely surrounded by people and yet sometimes when I drive out and pass a neighbor I’m lucky if I even get a wave, or any type of acknowledgement. The friendly neighbor relationship has definitely dwindled over the past decade or so. It seems like people have strayed from asking neighbors for help when they are in a simple bind.

I definitely feel that neighborhoods today could benefit greatly if it were to just become friendlier. A more enjoyable and helpful community could be assembled, as these rural communities have, if neighbors were more willing to open up to each other. Even though it theoretically would be possible for neighborhoods like mine to interact with each other in a more beneficial way I don’t see it as being likely to occur unless people really step up and make changes.

Eric Fluette

Unity