When it is said that we should be aware of our surroundings, it doesn’t necessarily mean being aware of the dangers but also to know who lives next door. In today’s world, it is quite common being unaware of the name plates on the house besides ours. This could be because of two reasons: busy population and closed housing i.e., flat system.
Firstly, with the substantial increase in the cost of living, both the partners, rather all the adults in the household works tirelessly to earn bread and butter. In such scenario, there is no chance for neighbours to come in close contact engaging in meaningful conversations. Secondly, people who reside in buildings, especially in major cities, are losing on communicating with the family staying beside them because the doors are alwasy closed and flat system barely accomodate any public space for a group of people to chit-chat limiting the interactions.
What can we do to solve this problem? To begin with, the building commitee or the flat owners themselves should wholeheartedly come together frequently to celebrate festivals in open grounds, like Christmas, Diwali or even New Year’s Eve. Moreover, making time to indulge in small talks on our way out to work, in the lobby, lift or in the parking, everyday can also be effective to deepen neighbourhood affection. For example, in villages, unlike cities, where you will only find houses with ample open spaces, nearby families sit together in the evenings sharing good and bad moments after the day ends builds a sense of closeness. They become each others support system.
In conclusion, we are increasingly growing apart from our neighbours due to lack of time and limited access to public spaces to engage in a dailogue in residential areas. We can tackle this by celebrating festivals or arranging parties as well as by making efforts to have a 2-minute conversation whenever possible.