In pioneer days,being a good neighbor was very important.Neighbors helped one another raise a house,build a barn,and clear fields.Families depended on one another for friendship and entertainment.But today in our cities and suburbs,neighboring is not common.A family may not even know the other families that live close by. We live in an age of machines,and each family may have its own car,TV set,and washing machine.People no longer depend on neighbors as much as they once did. Machines keep people apart in other ways.In our grandparents' time,women met while they hung out their washing,and men stopped and talked while they mowed their lawns.Today,women stay in the house with their automatic dryers.The men can't hear anything above the roar of their power lawn mowers.And the children are inside watching their favorite TV show. Is the idea of being neighborly old-fashioned?In 1965,a power failure hit New York City,and many thousands of people were left stranded.Suddenly,everyone shared the same problem,and our largest city became a group of eight million neighbors.People with cars offered rides to those walking.Other persons helped direct traffic.Trapped in elevators,people played word games and helped keep each other in good spirits. In times of trouble,people still depend on one another.As time goes on,people may once again feel that being a good neighbor is important.
