In 2024, my wife and I put up a sign in our yard for a presidential candidate. Days later, about two feet away, our next-door neighbors posted a sign for a very different presidential candidate. It appeared as though the two signs were angrily trying to face each other down.
We laugh with our neighbors about this. We can do so because we know our neighbors. They obviously don’t have the same political beliefs we do, but they are still great neighbors, and we are glad they live next door. When there is an issue on the block, we talk about it, and more than once, we have taken action together.
How well do you know your neighbors? Do you know them as well as the people you communicate with casually on social media?
The rise in political polarization our country is experiencing mirrors the epidemic of loneliness that has been identified by the U.S. Surgeon General. Many people appear worried about the state of our country and the direction we are headed.
If we don’t start talking to each other again, we are doomed as a country.
We need to get off MS NOW, Fox News, Facebook, X, and the like and talk to our neighbors again. No, it won’t solve all of our problems, but we must start somewhere. If you want to start the process where you live, pick a neighbor you barely know, or don’t know at all, and knock on their door. Just knock.
When they answer, tell them your name. Tell them you live nearby, and ask if they have any concerns about the neighborhood. Ask them about the sign in their window, the garden they have out front, anything — and then listen. Just listen. People will tell you a great deal about themselves if they believe you are truly trying to hear them out. If you can suspend judgment for a few minutes, I guarantee it will change the way you view your neighbor. It will change the way you view yourself, too.
I know many of my neighbors are scared — worried for their families, and the world we are leaving to our children. This fear, along with the loneliness many of us feel, is one of the few things bridging the political divide in our country. It cuts across generations, religious beliefs, races, ethnicities and social classes. If you are totally confident in the state of our country and the world, okay, but if you are not, would you like to worry alone, or would you rather have company?
We make up stories about people we see, but do not really know. It is human nature. When we hear about someone with a political outlook or religious belief with which we disagree, we tend to demonize them. This kind of thinking will not stop in a vacuum — we need to replace our made-up stories with true stories about these people as they really are. Why not let them tell you their stories themselves?
If you can suspend judgment for a few minutes, I guarantee it will change the way you view your neighbor. It will change the way you view yourself, too.
I am not saying you need to put up with bad behavior, or do anything risky. If your next door neighbor makes you feel unsafe, I understand — what about their neighbor? How well do you know them? What would happen if you got to know them?
It’s a scary thing to knock on a neighbor’s door uninvited. I know — I’ve knocked on a lot of doors in my time. The first door is always the hardest. Every time I do it, I start out with my heart pounding in my chest, afraid of the reaction I will receive. But I can tell you that I have knocked several thousand doors in my area, and can count the number of rude individuals I have encountered on one hand. I guarantee you, talking to your neighbor is much more fulfilling than listening to a podcast — and if we don’t start talking to each other again, we are doomed as a country.
If you don’t feel comfortable knocking on your neighbor’s door, I understand. Come knock on mine. I live at 3118 Englewood Street in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. I look forward to speaking with you.
David Lynn is a Democratic Ward Leader in Mayfair.
The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
MAKING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A BETTER PLACE
