Poem- “A Respectable Neighbor”

“A Respectable Neighbor”

Respect your neighbor, right?

How do you respect your neighbor?

We must follow some guidelines.

First of all, to respect your neighbor, you must know what a neighbor is.

Not everybody is your neighbor.

In fact, most people on Earth are not your neighbors.

You must respect your neighbor when he is a good neighbor.

However, you must also respect strangers in more of a formal manner.

Sure, you do not “know” strangers, but you should respect them.

Strangers are just not the same people as your neighbors are.

Neighbors live near you; strangers live far from you.

You should respect both.

But, you must know who is a neighbor and who is a stranger.

A neighbor has legal residence near your legal residence.

Strangers can be nice and polite.

However, strangers probably come from distant residences.

A few strangers may even be homeless.

You should respect strangers and may even get to know them.

But neighbors are near you.

They are “close” to you.

You can touch them.

You can motion them.

You can relate them.

You can communicate with them.

You can contact them.

You can feel their presence.

You can sense them.

Strangers are different.

Strangers do not have much connection to each other.

If there’s ever a connection, it’s formal, precise, and brief.

Yes, you probably go to the local grocery market.

But that local grocery market can be full of strangers.

Usually, you must be formal, precise, and brief for customer feedback.

For this reason, customer feedback is not literature.

You will probably demand nuggets and save your wallet.

You will probably say, “Give me that item.”

It’s communication.

However, it’s very firm and very brief.

Sometimes, a grocery store worker is unable to talk.

He or she can be in the far back of the store, making cookies and frosting.

There’s fashion to it.

There’s custom to it.

Of course, it’s not really a neighborhood, is it?

A grocery store can be in your neighborhood.

Then again, other grocery stores may be too far away for your neighborhood.

A neighbor is different.

Your neighbor is likely to have a “chat” with you on local situations.

Weather is a very interesting subject between neighbors.

But, between strangers, weather is mostly irrelevant to business.

A stranger can get upset with you if you even call him or her by first name.

A stranger would prefer for you to refer to him or her as Mr. or Mrs.

Like I’ve said, neighbors and strangers are not equal.

Do you know what mistake is the most common in politics?

Political citizens will just assume that any stranger “needs” their help.

That’s the most common mistake in politics.

And, not only will political citizens declare help wanted without cause.

They will assume that the Earth speaks to them on every matter.

But that’s not the case.

Strangers go very far in the world.

So many strangers exist.

There are billions of strangers.

Even a baby can be a stranger.

Neighborhoods are close limits of residential approach.

Strangers keep going and going.

They are like creatures from outer space.

Unless you meet someone, you do not know someone.

Even when you know someone, residence is another matter entirely.

When a friend is not your neighbor, the friendship can get too difficult.

A neighbor can give you a hug.

Of course, that takes considerable effort.

That takes neighborhood watch for your local residence.

Only a few people can be your neighbor.

And, only a few people can be your friend.

Everybody else is respectable, but it’s only in “down to business” context.

TV is not your neighbor.

You probably watch TV.

But, TV is usually an imaginary view for strangers, not neighbors.

New York is not my neighbor.

Hollywood is not my neighbor.

My small town of Tehachapi, California only has a few neighbors to me.

Everybody else is just “out there”.

That’s still important.

But, it’s important for a different status of authority.

https://www.deviantart.com/gameuniverso/art/A-Respectable-Neighbor-933369836