There is Safety in Numbers
Do you know your neighbors? Because in an emergency, guess who will be right next to you? Them.
If you are on cordial terms with the people on both sides of you and across the street from you, you’re head and shoulders above most of us. Few Americans even know their neighbors’ names.
In many neighborhoods it seems impossible. And in some places, there are little nagging problems that have grown, or are currently growing, into large problems. Or our particular neighbors just do not seem like the kind of people we would like to know.
But we should get to know them anyway.
It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. But think how much more difficult it will be after an emergency starts. Yes, there is a moment of everyone standing in the street together with blank stares. But after that, most people go back to whatever they have left in a state of shock and ignore others. Please do not count on a sense of camaraderie to suddenly spring up.
If you get to know your neighbors, you gain valuable assets. And so do they. You will know each other enough to be able to help each other, and that two-way street can be a life-saver for both sides. You can share supplies and security arrangements. You can watch out for each other. There will be a good chance that they will be on your side, rather than against you. It is a very good deal for everyone involved.
You don’t have to have meetings, or do anything formal like Neighborhood Watch®, or be best buddies. You just have to get on a level of comfort with them so that in case anything happens, they will watch your back while you watch theirs. If you run out of water, they might give you a couple of liter bottles. You will need to keep a little bit extra on hand so that you can offer back if they run short. If that seems a burden, realize that if they run out of water, they will be on your doorstep whether you know them or not. Better to have a friendly relationship so you can say, ‘here’s a little, it’s all we can spare’, and they nod and say ‘okay’, because they have a little trust in you. Much better than both sides reaching for their pistols.
Depending on your neighborhood, it may be possible to create a little cull-de-sac of protection amongst yourselves. A little bit of ‘hi neighbor’, and ‘have you thought about what would happen in an emergency, neighbor?’ might go a long way when the time comes. Plow the field. See where there is fertile ground. It is not possible to be friends, or even friendly acquaintances, with everyone. Find those with whom it is possible.
And if there is never even a local emergency situation in your neighborhood… which is very unlikely, by the way… they come to all of us eventually… getting to know your neighbors can be rewarding just in terms of being able to smile when you see each other. And who knows, you might actually make a real friend. The average person in the United States has… guess how many friends?
Slightly less than one, on average, and that’s including family members. Which means some of us have… zero. And ‘friend’ in the study I saw was defined simply as someone with whom you could bring up something important. Nothing deeper than that.
Myself, I can use and enjoy and need all the friends I can get. I’m not a bad friend to have, either. Goes both ways. I like it.
