Editorial: Leaping social fences helps build community – Traverse City Record Eagle

Good fences make good neighbors or so the old saying goes. And its true, to a point. A moderate amount of privacy is a valuable commodity.

But giving up some degree of personal privacy to work closely with neighbors can break down social fences and allow us to learn about our community.

A group of volunteers organized through Mancelonas Pathway Community Church this week leaped over social fences to lend their construction skills to neighbors. Several teams of three or four volunteers each participants in the Hands and Feet Camp tackled a variety of projects during the course of three days.

They just kind of threw us in, said volunteer Hannah Riffell. When people think of mission work, they think you have to go to Africa. But you can find mission work right in your own backyard.

Any communitys collective backyard is made up of all local residents backyards and front yards. Privacy is valuable, but so is the willingness to notice neighbors in distress and perhaps lend them a hand.

Strong communities rely on citizen involvement and on neighborly concern. That concern can be exercised in council meetings or in volunteer work. Participation in the community requires some breach in the wall of privacy. A cohesive community cannot truly exist without communication and cooperation.

The Hands and Feet Camp in Mancelona started with someone noticing that neighbors could use a little assistance. That, in itself, was a bit of an invasion of privacy but in a good way.

Everyone values privacy. It can feel awkward if neighbors are having a formal garden party and you want to catch some rays in your unfenced backyard. But, like everything in life, the quest for privacy can go too far.

Fences so tall they block the sun make it impossible to enjoy your own backyard. Social fences so sturdy that they prevent interaction with neighbors make it difficult to make friends and influence people. Not all fences are made from wood. Some are constructed of an uncaring attitude.

The practice of ignoring neighbors can turn us into a community of hermits, a collection of individuals who share a physical location but little else.

Paying attention to people who live down the street, particularly those who are elderly or challenged, can help us understand our community and our place in it. Responding to those residents needs by doing something replacing a worn wheelchair ramp, mowing a lawn or painting a house builds a stronger community.

The issue

n Neighbors helping neighbors

Our view

n Work given freely results in a more cohesive community

See original here:
Editorial: Leaping social fences helps build community - Traverse City Record Eagle