THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

Growing up, I understood the importance of staying friendly to your neighbours, apart from the fact that I grew up in a face me, I face you house, where we had about 20 tenants having all the rooms facing each other. We as kids played together, sharing our toys and other things we had together. At the same time, our parents did the same, even after we relocated to a different area, which was after my father was able to build his own house; we were still very friendly with the neighbours. My mother has always been one who was known by everyone in the community due to her generosity, age and wisdom. People will always come to her seeking advice, while others will come looking for assistance.

The use to be a saying that said the child was not just the parents’ child and responsibility, it was the responsibility of the whole community to teach and train a child, that was the type of community I grew in, the community was more of an extended family living together than a community of strangers, we the children call each other brothers and sisters right up till this day.

Haven grown up in the type of community I grew up, I have gotten the understanding and I have learnt the importance of being friendly with your neighbours, I until date will baby sit for my neighbours, I remembered how I was a constant baby sitter for a neighbour of mine then, whenever this woman was going out or was busy, she will bring her children to me to hold and take care of, this was because I was always available, always indoors and never going out and I was also dependable.

The importance of knowing your neighbour should not be underestimated, as it is crucial to be aware of your neighbour's occupation, other relevant information, and their general character for your safety and other reasons. In this day and period where a lot of individuals have engaged in fraudulent acts, when you don’t try to know your neighbour and what they do for a living, your neighbour could use you in their fraudulent act. Or you might have your children at risk of being used as tools or even for something worse.

I have the spare key to my house kept with a neighbour of mine in case of unforeseen circumstances. This is so because of any situation where I might misplace my keys or when something might be happening at home and I am not close to the house to help the situation. I could remember one Sunday where my neighbour left for church leaving the cooker on with a pot of food on it, the house started smoking out and thank God the neighbour was friendly with another neighbour who knew where he usually drops his keys, this was how we were able to get into the house on time before the situation became worst and noticed that it was the cooker that was on and the food on it had burnt completely causing the house to be filled with a lot of smoke.

Thank you for reading. My name is @rishagamo, and this is my response to the Hive Learners weekly Featured Content Week 179 Episode 01: “KNOW THY NEIGHBOR”.