In early days of history, being a good neighbor was very important. Neighbors helped one another build houses, and clear fields. Families depended on one another for friendship and entertainment.
But today in our cities and suburbs, friendly relationship between neighbors is not common. A family may not even know the other families that live next door to them. We live in an age of machines, and each family may have its own car, TV set, and washing machine. People no longer depend on neighbors as much as they once did. Machines keep people apart in other ways. In our grandparents' time, women met while they hung out the washing, and men stopped and talked while they mowed the lawns. Today, they cannot hear anything above the noise of their power lawn mowers. And women stay inside with their electrical dryers, which help dry their clothes. Children are inside watching their favorite TV shows. Is the idea of being a good neighbor old-fashioned?
In 1965, a power cut hit New York City, and many thousands of people were left helpless. Suddenly, everyone shared the same problem, and the largest city became a group of eight million neighbors. People with cars offered rides to those walking. Other people helped direct traffic. In elevators, people played word games and helped cheer each other up.
In times of trouble, people still depend on one another. As time goes on, people may once again feel that being a good neighbor is important.
