Keeping the Peace

“While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many.” ~Lady Bird Johnson

You are my neighbor. You might be reading this all the way across the globe from me. You might be in a completely different time zone. We are still neighbors. Yes it is a big planet. The distance between us could be anywhere from a few blocks to a few thousand miles. It is not physical proximity that makes us neighbors. It is the fact that you are part of my community. We share thoughts and discuss values. We communicate and collaborate with some of the same people; we read some of the same blogs.

The fact that there are so many of us sharing the same space (cyber and otherwise) does call for us to interact with compassion and respect. The more people that we interact with the more critical it becomes for us to really work together to create interactions that are positive. Positive does not mean that we only ever discuss good news or only discuss topics where we are in complete agreement; it means that we are able to work together to face bad news or disagreements in a manner that allows all parties to walk away with their dignity intact and not walk away feeling beat up. And since you are my neighbor I call upon you to set the example for the rest of our neighbors. I know you are more than capable of setting an example to others.

Thank you for being my neighbor.

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