- It’s a new day in the neighbourhood all across the Western world. More than 30 per cent of Canadians now say they feel disconnected from their neighbours, while half of Americans admit they don’t know the names of theirs. An Australian sociologist investigating community responses in the wake of the 2011 floods in Queensland found relations in “a precarious balance”; neighbours were hesitant to intrude even in emergencies—leading the scholar to conclude that “we are less likely than ever to know” our neighbours. Quite right, too: A recent poll of 2,000 Britons found a third declaring they couldn’t pick their near neighbours out of a police lineup.
I have often sat and chatted with my neighbors.I don't chat with all of them but I usually have spent a little time getting to know them if they are willing to do the same. Been in my new house for about six months. I have met all the neighbors close to my house except one. The one I've never met I've also never seen, I know someone lives there but they seem pretty reclusive. There is an old guy who lives next door, he likes to have a chat. We visit several times a week. At least once a week I sit down and spend a half hour or so shooting the breeze. He is kind to my daughter and I appreciate that she gets a chance to socialize with and older person who isn't part of the family and is of a different race than her. Not everyone is suited for being social, sometimes reclusive distance is a positive thing. My father mostly kept to himself unless there was some business to transact (new fence, tree trimming) and it was probably best for all involved. No idea what's up with the recluse who lives next to me but I don't begrudge her the privacy.