[cylinder]

Honest question - why is it considered so inherently important to spend time with your neighbors? I don't understand why I'm supposed to have a natural connection to certain individuals just because we chose to live in the same area. If my social circle consists of people who don't happen to live on my street, is that so bad? We don't really need to worry about having someone to come check up on us from next door because modern communication has extended our reach far beyond our own street.

I've never really been comfortable getting to know my neighbors. I feel like they see and hear too much about my private life as it is, it's actually awkward for me to see my neighbors.

[sliverstorm]

It's not supposed to be a natural connection. But it's much easier to kill time with people who live close by.

I don't know about you, but I find watching a movie or sitting around a fire with my neighbors far more therapeutic than text messaging on my phone.

[nine_k]

You have time and have nothing better to do with it than to kill it? My condolences. Try having kids; it rids you of free time quite well! :)

Really, with current online life, people have contact less with random strangers and more with like-minded or otherwise interesting individuals. If in an [abstract] countryside you have to talk to you neighbors because there's no one else around, on the Internet the choice is wider.

OTOH your neighbors may be nice and interesting people; some of my neighbors are. Also you might have some local common interest, or could e.g. lend power tools or kitchen utensils to each other sometimes.

[sliverstorm]

You miss the point. I'd rather share a fire with living people, than a glowing screen. Even if those people are less witty than the glowing screen.

Not to mention the internet tends to form echo chambers. It's good to meet people who are not like-minded...

[cylinder]

It's not about staring at the screen. It's about using that screen to contact your friends who live beyond your street to come over and sit around your fire.

People forget that 100 years ago that wasn't really an option.

[sliverstorm]

Friends who live twenty minutes away are far less likely to join on a casual and/or routine basis.

BTW, the telephone was invented nearly 200 years ago. Although, yes, travel options were more limited.

[nine_k]

None of us "misses the point", but our use cases are obviously different.

And yes, meeting people that are not like-minded is very important; is it beside a fire or through a glowing screen, does not matter.

[collyw]

You really don't see the benefit in being social be to the people around you? It doesn't have to have an intimate relationship.

Do you just ignore the people you work with as well for similar reasons?

OK, one reason off the top of my head. Say something suspicions is going on outside your flat. Someone that could be checking out your house wanting to break in. A friendly neighbor may go up and ask in a non threatening way if you were expecting to see John in just now, and could he take a message for you. Ignore your neighbor to the point he doesn't even know your name, and guess what. He won't give a shit. Which scenario is more likely to get your place broken into?

[lutusp]

> why is it considered so inherently important to spend time with your neighbors?

It's propaganda disseminated by unhappy single women. :) I said it that way because not all single women are unhappy -- some prefer being alone, just as some men do. Recent statistics tell us that almost 1/2 of Americans are single, and they're about to become an absolute majority.

[jiggy2011]

What does this have with the GPs point?

[lutusp]

You mean, apart from answering his question?

[jiggy2011]

What does time spent with your neighbours have to do with single women?

[lutusp]

No, the question is, "What does an article encouraging contact with neighbors have to do with single women?"