RE: CultureQ #2: The loss of the neighbourhood community
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I think it’s important to take things into our own hands to whatever degree we feel able to. I don’t invite my neighbors in my building for tea or knock on their doors but I smile at them or make comments to show that I don’t have anything but good will.
And in the town there are people I know. At first I had some plans to jam with a few in a studio but people would always cancel because it’s a hassle to pack all your stuff and set up and pack up. Later started inviting two to my home to play, I get everything set up and all they bring are their guitars, and we play at a lower volume but they don’t cancel anymore.
A few times a year we may invite some acquaintances to dinner, pretty sure we will never be close friends but just so we can find more to connect over since we like each other enough to consider each other friends but have very different lifestyles so we hardly spend time together (my partner and I don’t drink or smoke, and we like to have a less busy schedule compared to others in our scene).
In all honesty I don’t feel any strong desire for that dinner in particular with them but it creates a better mood when we run into each other and keeps us connected which I like.
This actually reminded me of something I forgot to mention! When I was living in Georgia, I came to discover a culture so different to anything I had ever known that the people did not smile. They considered it fake. Naturally, close friends or relatives would smile and greet each other, but a stranger smiling to another in the hallway of the building or greeting them would be something they'd instantly reject. They'd ignore you or go as far as not even looking at you back.
I found it so strange, especially when I'd see the same people almost every day in the small apartment building I lived in. And it made those cold hallways feel far more cold. More isolating. And it was often the same way when you went to a cafe. Those were probably the worst neighbours I've had, for sure.
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