How many of your neighbors do you know? I grew up in a cold water flat tenement building by the railroad tracks. One thing the neighborhood had going for it was that each of the floors in the tenement buildings on the street had a porch. People strung clotheslines from the porch and hung out clothes to dry in the summer and freeze solid in the winter. On summer evenings people would sit on the porches and chat with neighbors in adjoining buildings or passing by on the sidewalk. Everybody knew everybody. That’s gone now. If we’re not careful we’ll live in nice homes and apartment buildings surrounded by lots of people yet knowing few. It takes courage and effort to connect with neighbors, to learn their name, and to stop and chat with them for a moment or two. Connected people have each other’s back.
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What If taking Responsibility Were Commonplace
What if taking responsibility were commonplace? Taking responsibility is easier said than done. It’s easy to point fingers at others and say, “He/she should take responsibility.” Responsibility begins when I own it. When I take responsibility, for better or worse, for my actions or duties in relationship to myself and to others. Responsibility means I recognize what is required of me as a man/woman and act accordingly. When society values responsibility families are stronger, neighborhoods are healthier and safer, and doing what’s right triumphs over self interest.
