Live and Let Live: A Guide For Peaceful Neighborhood Living!

Living in a neighborhood can be both a wonderful and an awful experience. It's wonderful if you happen to live in a good environment where neighbors coexist harmoniously, devoid of quarrels, and misunderstandings. But if you are so unlucky to find yourself in a chaos and problem prone environment, peace and harmony will be far fetched.

In as much as we desire to live in a peaceful environment, we should also know that it lies in our hands to make it so. Just like we know, every neighborhood has its own principle, and somewhat rules guiding it, and it's important for one to play by the rules as this will ensure we live a harmonious, happier and stress free life.

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I believe no one wants to live in a disorganized, chaos and problematic neighborhood, I don't either and to ensure we create the pleasant and Harmonious neighborhood of our dreams we should all try to be mindful of the people around us - respecting our neighbors, following community rules, and resolving conflicts peacefully. All these and more are what neighborhood etiquette is all about.

Not only that, there are some dos and do nots that we nerd to keep in mind;

The Dos

How about becoming a good example for others in your neighborhood, sounds cool, right?
Being a good person doesn't take anything away from anyone, rather it makes people want to associate with you.
You can start with little gestures like making conscious effort to look out for your neighbors, waving or extending greetings to them and asking about their welfare, sending little gifts to them on their special days, empathizing with them in difficult times, and celebrating with them in good times too, etc. When people see you do this, they will be encouraged to follow suit.

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When listening to music or seeing movies, be mindful of noise levels by turning down the volume of the TV or music player so you don't constitute a nuisance in your neighborhood.

Some people are in the habit of doing this, and it's totally wrong. Noise pollution isn't healthy to the body. Those loud booming sounds from the home theaters and music players can actually trigger a hypertensive person to have crises. Not only that, it's also inconveniencing to others who might want to rest at that time.

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Always communicate openly with your neighbors when there's a concern such as noise, trespassing or a challenging issue like power or water supply, etc.

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If you own a car, it's important to be considerate when parking it by not blocking driveways or taking up multiple spaces.

This is one of the things that leads to misunderstanding in a compound and I tell you, some people are so guilty of this.
In my office building, there are people living there and they all have cars. But there's one particular man who has three cars. He drives only one while the other two are parked, taking up spaces. Not only are they taking up spaces, they are breeding ground for rodents, reptiles and insects which causes health hazards to the neighbors. Friday of the previous week, he brought a mechanic to service the cars, and it wasn't surprising to see rats jumping out from all corners of the car. He was really ashamed.

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There's also need for one to know who their neighbors are.

Try to be your neighbor's keeper. Just so you know, your neighbor is the closest "relative" you have and can be your saving help in times of need before your own relatives shows up, and vice versa. So there's need to live in peace with them.

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Maintain your space:
There are some neighbors who wouldn't want you keeping things around their space or even spreading clothes on their lines. So the thing to do is to keep off their spaces and stay on yours. I say this because of the misunderstanding that happened in my compound not so long ago. It almost resulted in a fight but thank goodness sanity was restored. One of my neighbors, a new one told the old one not to keep the baby cloth hanger at the small space in their frontage again because like she said,

she only allowed the old neighbor to keep the hanger there but that she wants to claim the space for herself and moreover that the hanger was blocking their own clothes line.

This is the same space this old neighbor has been keeping the hanger each time it rains even before this other neighbor moved in. On countless occasions, I've carried that hanger there if I happen to be at home whenever it's about to rain so I was surprised hearing the new neighbor claiming the gave her the space, hehehe. Things we see in a neighborhood. In order for peace to reign, I advised the old neighbor to stay off the space and keep the hanger elsewhere.

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For neighborhoods that have garden parks or playgrounds, you should be respectful of such places by cleaning up after yourself and not damaging equipment too.

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Also respect and abide by the neighborhood's rules and regulations such as clean ups, trash collection, noise ordinances, movement time etc.
Talking about the movement time, there are some neighborhoods that have a time when the gates are locked for the night. So it's good to keep to the time and when you can't make it try to pre-inform your neighbors so they stay in wait for you to avoid you disturbing the neighborhood with knocks on the gate when it's already locked.

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Most importantly, If you have children, teach them the importance of respecting their neighbors' property and privacy.

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There are many more of the dos but I will just stop with these and point out just few do nots.

In as much as one is required to maintain good relationships with their neighbors, and to ask about their well being and probably visit them, it is not enough for you to choke them with your constant visits. Allow them breathe, please. This behavior is wrong and may send a signal that you are poke nosing and they may start avoiding you. Respect yourself to be respected.

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Do not in any circumstance spread rumor, unverified news about your neighbors or even in gossiping them. This very act has landed so many in problems. Steer clear from such.

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A big don't is to not allow your pets, livestock etc, be a point of contention in your neighborhood. Keep them in check.. Pet owners have a responsibility to keep their animals under control and ensure that they aren't causing harm to other people or property. This includes picking up after your pets when they do their business, keeping them leashed in public areas, and training them not to damage other people's plants or crops. This also applies to those who keep livestock like goats, backyard poultry, etc.

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Another one is do not take up a public parking spot for private use, thereby hindering others from using it. That's robbing them of their rights and its wrong.

Don't forget this very important rule:

love your neighbor just the way you love yourself and to treat others how you would want to be treated.

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Final Note

Remember, the key to harmonious living in a neighborhood is respect, consideration, and communication. By following these dos and don'ts you can create a friendly, welcoming, and safe environment for everyone to enjoy.

Thank you for reading.....

Still the #threadsaddict 😂

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