Day 13 - Love Your Neighbor

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

This adage rings true, but it can be challenging when you don't even know who your neighbor is. It's even more challenging when you don't know who you are.

Today, we often find ourselves comfortably encapsulated in a world of strangers, finding solace in the avatars on our mobile phones rather than engaging in face-to-face interaction. Overlooking the importance of knowing who lives next to us can easily take a backseat to the hustle and distractions of everyday life.

The family next door may prefer to spend their time in the backyard, but wouldn't it be transformative if we cultivated a culture where we spent more time in the front? This is the culture I was raised in and I have nothing but fond memories of this particular aspect of my upbringing.

In previous decades, it was commonplace for families to be well-acquainted with their immediate neighbors, with block parties and communal gatherings marking the seasons. However, as time has passed, a preference for solitude has overtaken the tradition of neighborly interaction.

A typical person today only knows the names of about five people living on their street. This phenomenon, known as pluralistic ignorance, is driven by a perception that interaction with strangers is more negative than it actually is, and it discourages us from sparking conversations in shared spaces.

However, the reality is that connecting with those around us offers many benefits. So, if you aspire to foster a sense of community at home, remember that knowing your neighbors can be mutually beneficial.

Reflection:

Consider love as an ongoing journey, not a final destination— and allow yourself to define what it means in righteousness. The act of loving doesn't have a definitive endpoint. Love is a fluid experience, ever-changing and not eternally unvarying.

Practice:

The practice of intentional living is the first step. Start by saying hello. Show genuine interest in their lives, seek common ground, and contemplate on your relationship with them. This active engagement can begin to cultivate the universal language of kindness, a virtue of profound significance that is too often underutilized.