Member-only story
Society Needs a Cure
We must rebuild trust in our communities
When I was a kid I was “forced” to do a lot of things I wouldn’t normally do on my own. I’d have to eat what was in front of me. A school program had us go door to door and sell candy. In Boy Scouts I had to do the same thing but with popcorn. There was never a real concern about my safety — there wasn’t a need.
Those days are over. Things devolved socially between then and now. We are constantly in a state of readiness for the worst. People are armed, the neighbors are all under surveillance and our homes are protected by cameras and security systems. Let’s not get into the strength of the police forces.
It could be said that there seems to be a loss of community trust.
The modern community
Due to the imbedded fear of thy neighbor, people hardly associate outside their limited circle of friends. Kids rarely play with anyone outside of their age group.
This limits growth and learning. When people tend to stay in those close circles, it reduces external stimuli. Then little “clicks” are formed. This is seen regularly with political affiliations, religions, and simple things like sports teams and even something as trivial as soda.
