This is the art of being friendly and helpful to others around you or the bonds of friendship that binds us together in a community.The decline of neighbourliness in our communities is alarming and this could be attributed to inequality and the fact that our needs and wants are tied to what others will think of us.
Crises seem to bring out the best in all of us and it is during such times, neighbourliness shines and outdoes the wrong; but should this be the only wake up call to follow the commandment- Love your neighbour as you love yourself?
Once in a while purpose to be a good neighbour; give to the blind man on the streets, buy a banana or peanuts so that the vendor can feed her family, stop squeezing in as the fourth member in an already full Nissan because we all want comfort and a breath of fresh air. Try and make two great friends in the year because no man is an island.
Every day, everywhere, neighbourliness manifests itself in simple and genuine ways, sparked not by disaster or emergency but by people’s innate desire to be of help. Sometimes neighbourly love finds expression through formal outlets such as volunteering or contributing to a charitable cause. More often it shows up in informal, “unscripted” ways: comforting a bereaved member of the community; helping a stranger on the street; mowing someone’s lawn or keeping an eye on their home; and – yes – bringing pie to a neighbour! (Anonymous)
This quote doesn’t apply today; chivalry is dead indeed and so is neighbourliness.
Unconditional love should be what defines neighbourliness. Take the example of a child’s definition of friendship, it is uninhibited, selfless, and it knows no boundaries. Neighbourliness should be like that child who holds the society together, the foundation of caring citizenship that breeds hospitality, belonging and meaning in our communities.
We inspire more neighbourliness by knowing our own neighbours, visiting them while we can, and organizing neighbourly activities to do during weekends.
An old adage says “we have crushed the caterpillars yet claim there are no butterflies”. Our lifestyle has changed so much that we now live in our own cocoons killing every opportunity of neighbourly acts and yet we ask where all the beauty has gone to.
We have created an environment where survival is for the fittest. Is this the way forward? We must learn how to remove the barriers that inhibits our natural neighbourliness. Trust is important and it is earned not given. A new neighbour, workmate or student will have to earn trust. Decide to make the next person close to you feel at home and enjoy your company.
We can help nurture neighbourliness by many simple ways. We can go green and help citizens stay healthy by breathing clean fresh air. You could do something Kenyan if you are in Diaspora like goat eating to soothe the ache of missing loved ones back at home.
Kenya was brought to speed on what ethnicity could do during the 2007 Post Election Violence. we may have experienced a few bumps but it was remarkable seeing Kenyans stand as one during the promulgation of the new constitution, we stood with one voice and became models of how we can be unified.