GOOD NEIGHBORS

   I live in a neighborhood in the proximity of Bowling Green on its south side. There is an APP called “Nextdoor” so that neighbors can be, what else? Neighborly. Of course, “neighbor” is a person living nearby, but ostensibly a “neighbor” is a fellow human being who should be treated humanely, or as the Bible says, as you want them to do unto you (Luke 6:31).

  Whether you are a Christian or not, that is the right thing to do! What would neighborly people appreciate? For others to be good neighbors.

  I grew up in a small town made up of 600 good neighbors. Each of us were different: of different races, religions, ideologies, vocations, hobbies, and personalities. However, we were all good neighbors to each other. Why so? Because we are in this together, “this” being our short lifetimes. The least that we could do is to love one another. We did!

  I love my neighborhood. I have coined our neighborhood, “Pleasantville.” This pleasant place is made of many smaller communities and sub-divisions, but yet, Nextdoor made it one community.  Most days, I either ride my bicycle, run, or walk much of the neighborhood from here to Plano to Woodburn to Rockfield to Bowling Green, and sometimes to Alvaton and back. Those communities are our neighborhood. As I ride, walk, or run; I speak or wave to my neighbors. Why would I do that? I want them to be friends.

  Some of them look me squarely in the eye and act as if I do not exist. As I said in Nextdoor, for those, I jump up and down and wave my arms to gesture at them that I am there. (Not when bicycling though.) Others avoid eye contact, and some even walk a different way or seem to busy themselves. They perhaps prefer isolation. Their desire is surely not to be neighborly, or perhaps they fear strangers. But for most people in our community, they are good neighbors. I have come to know many personally, and others we wave and smile at each other. I never ask their religion or politics, but I do ask them from where they come. I enjoy learning about people and their cultures whether domesticates or immigrants. One of my best neighbors is an Egyptian and the Burmese near me are delightful people.

  I desire that my community be in unity, and sometimes outside forces encroach upon us. Some have things stolen and others property damaged. Some throw trash on our streets, surely out of jealousy for our clean and well-kept community. Some speed through intersections and others arrogantly show off their noisy exhaust systems. Things like that take away from the serenity of our community.

 The children in Pleasantville have been pleasant and for the most part respectful. I have seen few incidences wherein I could blame teenagers for anything. Many stop and chat as they pass by my busy intersection. They help make this a pleasant place to live!

  I have posted several things on Nextdoor since I joined. The first thing was that this place should be named “Pleasantville.” Then when someone wrote of the drama in Nextdoor, I wrote that I am, “mellow dramatic.” Words means things! I test people’s reactions. “Melodramatic” means overly dramatic, obviously for attention. By “mellow dramatic” I meant that I am gentle in my drama; that I do not get excited easily. One person got that! She deserves a trophy.

  During the election, all the white political signs were stolen from my street. So as not to be political, I wrote “white signs” rather than which political signs. I did not have a desire to divide the community over politics but did want to point out that alien behaviors had encroached upon our pleasant community. Surely, good neighbors would not steal from other good neighbors, so I assumed that they must be outsiders. I remained “mellow.”

  I meet those who are different from me in politics and religion almost daily. Because they are fellow human beings, I am always pleasant and conversational. If everyone was like me, this would not be Pleasantville but “Stepford” wherein all the people are mellow. I accept the melodramatic because that is their personalities. People are different and that is okay!

  My next comment was about masks. It was not political in nature. One woman got into religion by quoting scripture out of context; that failure to wear masks tests God and she quoted the scripture but failed to look at the context. They tested God by depending on themselves, and not on God.

  I wear a mask when near people, but it is not for me, it is for them. I trust God to keep me safe but I try to help keep them safe. Perhaps I should have let the woman continue in her false belief, then everyone would be content in Pleasantville but not God. I am not a preacher, but scripture, for one thing, is for corrections. I have studied the Bible for 13 years and write a commentary nearly every day. That is around 20,000 hours of learning scripture. That does not make me always right, but God is never wrong. Like I do, that woman got God wrong! I corrected her, and the uproar began. I did not bring religion to the table, but perhaps I wrongly provoked others. That divided some in the community because human nature is not to like correction.

  I had a sign stolen from my yard near the street. I knew that it might be stolen there. However, I put a banner on my shed and nailed it firmly. It was protected by a fence all around. That fence is my “safe space” to keep people from encroachment on my property. I have valuable things inside that fence, and the purpose of my fence is to protect what is mine.

  Good neighbors would never enter that fence, so I assumed that someone outside the community stole my sign. To avoid further violation of my safe space, I posted of the theft in Nextdoor. It seems to have been removed, and I would assume because melodramatic people made it controversial. It was apolitical but I did refer to socialism which is an ideology. The implementation thereof is politics. In my Christian ideology, socialism is anti-Christian. I did jump the wall of separation of church and state which is not even in our laws. Why not? Someone jumped my fence!

  I commented that I am often “armed.” At least two of my friendly (sic) neighbors accused me of wanting to kill people for merely stealing a sign. I had said nothing about shooting anyone. They created that narrative because they are melodramatic themselves. I am “mellow.” People who know me, know that I do not even hunt because I cannot shoot innocent animals, let alone human beings. I still feel sad when I remember, as a child, killing a dove by accident. Yet, those who have never met me essentially called me a” murderer,” or at a minimum “cruel.”

  “Armed” is “armored.” I sometimes wear a side arm for protection. It is armor to keep others from harming me. It is for protection, not provocation or harm. However, I carefully worded that in my comment. I was careful that nobody would take that wrong, but still people did. They judged me without even knowing me personally. “Thou shalt not judge” was broken.

  When I wrote “armed,” I meant with the whole armor of God (Ephes 2:11) because although it might be foreign to my neighbors, God is my daily armor whom I wear. They assumed that I meant harm. If I caught anyone trespassing against me, what would I do? Remember the Lord’s Prayer… that I trespass against them. What would I do? Shoot my gun at a young person? No, I would tell them about the Lord.

  However, without even knowing me, two people said they would pray for me. They assumed that I was mean-spirited. If they had read about me before, or knew me, they would know that I am about as mellow as can be! I pray for my trespasses daily, and there are many. I would appreciate those people praying for me if their context and intents were for good, but perhaps they were insulting me in God’s Name. Self-righteous Christians do that often — they pray that you will be like them in all their righteous arrogance. Did they really pray for me or against me? My bet is that they did neither but made themselves sound spiritually supreme! If they were praying for my correction that would be welcomed, but I perceive that it was that I should perish.

 Who should they have prayed for? The person who stole from me. If they had said that I would have been humbled and thought to pray for the thief as well. I just took time out to pray for the thief, that he or she would come to know the Will of God.

  Furthermore, they should pray for America. Socialism is against our form of government. We have a great neighborhood because of our system of government. Those who do not like the prosperity that we enjoy should move out of the neighborhood or wherever it is that they think is better. Socialism is not political; it is ideological, and the ideology of socialism is against our republic and against God. Therefore, if the self-righteous two people would have prayed for the socialists who burn down cities and shoot people, that would be more logical. Instead, they prayed for me — one of the most obedient people in the neighborhood. Why not pray for the mob? Because they would rather judge those who try to do right.

  People comment on all things in Nextdoor. Who made the rule forbidding politics? It is noble to be apolitical, but almost nobody is! We should accept that… until politics encroaches on our property. I do have arms. I have arms because I fear that my neighbors do not. I have arms to protect me and the neighbors that I consider to be friends. For that reason, my neighbors attacked my Christianity and civility. Some thought the worst about me.  They are not good neighbors! When the mob comes for our property, I will bear arms for that. When they come for yours, I will bear arms for you. Kind words did not keep the mob from Jesus, and kind words to criminals will never keep the mob from their chaos. When, and if they come, I will be there for you; even those who have condemned me.

  When it snowed heavy amounts three winters ago, I put my Christianity into action. I knew only that some elderly and the widows lived nearby. I shoveled seven driveways twice in my neighborhood for people that I had never met or knew only casually. I did that because good neighbors do things to help neighbors. Some wanted to pay me. To that I replied, “That is what neighbors should do for each other.” Good neighbors do not steal from other neighbors nor trespass on their property unless they are doing good things. Stealing is not good. Trespassing to destroy what belongs to another is damning. A good Christian would pray, not for me, but the trespasser for whom I just prayed.

  I am a writer of Christian books as well as history. I write, not for profit, but to spread the gospel of love. As such, I have given my neighbors, near and far, free copies of my books. Likewise, I spend two hours each day spreading love to the world in this Google blog. Somedays, I have 700 people who learn things about God from my commentary. Other days, there are only forty. If only one learns about God and love, then my commission is worth it. 

  I am not a good person, but I try hard to love. People make that extremely difficult because of their melodrama and arrogance. What I do for people is for naught, but I spend my time, not for my sake, but for others. Test yourselves, self-righteous people; how much time do you spend on your great commission? My bet is that you spend more time condemning others, even people that you do not know!

  It turns out that “Pleasantville” is not so pleasant after all. Some people here think that you must be just like them. Folks, that is “Stepford” town. That is a socialist Utopia. I just will not go there! I sorta like Pleasantville. I should hope that you do as well!

  The intent of my earlier post was not to divide people but report a problem in our community. Why would I do that? So that they not trespass against you. Why would I reveal my “arms?” To discourage trespassing. Arms are for protection… not for killing. Melodramatic people often assume the worst. With that said, I will quit Nextdoor because several of my neighbors are not good neighbors.  A few are arrogant condemners, and a few rotten apples can spoil the whole basket of good people.

(picture credit: Bowling Green Area & Visitors Bureau)