In general, people do not have such a close relationship with their neighbours as they did in the past. Why is this so, and what can be done to improve contact between neighbours?
People in the past were more attached and close with each other. Neighbouring individuals and families used to spend time with each other, especially in special occasions such as birthdays, Christmases, among many other common celebrated holidays. I will point out the major reasons why this kind of bond has deteriorated in the recent decades, and what could we do to rekindle it.
The most common reason why we spend less time with our neighbours is because of busy work and familial life. As our and our family's needs increase in volume and price, we are left with little time for leisurely activities. In relation to that, most of us have also neglected the old traditions of party celebrations during special occaions, furthering the emotional distance. People nowadays are also more practical; as such, people prefer spending special occasions by themselves and/or with their immediate family members.
Another reason is the ever-changing familial structure, together with the changing of the functions of our houses or homes. An example is around my neighbourhood. We used to have five or six families within our block and we used to celebrate with each other by going into one another's house and having dinner together. Now, the houses around our block are turned into apartments or boarding houses and multiple individuals and families from different places are now occupying them.
What our community leaders in my village have tried in the past to reinforce mingling within our neighbourhood is organising Christmas eve parties. However, most of the people do not join these gatherings. The gatherings can be further improved by providing incentives and more activities for the attendees. We could also organise separate activities for the children and the adults for better community bonding.
In conclusion, the modern days has made people get busy with their work and life, which eventually led to them spending lesser time with their neighbours. We could help to rekindle the neighbourhood bond by allotting ourselves some leisure time spent with them.
