Who Is Your Neighbor?

It had been just a few years since our family had moved to Macon, GA. My older son, then a 15 years old 9th grader, was quickly getting involved with school and planning for his future educational endeavors.

One day after school, he came in, slammed his books on the table, and sighed. I watched for a few moments, waiting for him to say something. He said nothing, just sighed.

Finally, I asked him how his day had been. He sighed, again. Then the sigh finally turned into words."This place is so backwards!". I looked waiting for more explanation. Boy, did I get what I was asking for. He continued to explain, "I can't believe how the students here treat people that talk differently from them." By then, my ears were perked. He continued, "There are these 2 Hispanic boys in my class, and the other students were talking and making fun of them as though they weren't even there. They called them names, told racist jokes, like they were invisible." He paused just to take a breath. "I wouldn't join in with them, mommy." He then rambled on to another happening, with out giving me opportunity to absorb the first situation. "That girl from the Bahamas was teased every day. I haven't seen her back in school, and that Black guy with the Canadian accent....him, too, gone! It is just soooo backwards here."

Believe me, I could feel his frustration. I was so proud of him for not joining in with the harassment and told him so.

Just imagine being in a neighborhood where all of the houses are the same, all  of the yards are the same, and all of the landscaping is identical, not to forget that all of the people look alike and they all attend the same type church.

In this imagined place, for many years in this "perfect" community, there has never been a thought about changing anything. Then one day a new family moves in. This family did not look like the people that had always been there, they did not talk like the people that had always  been there, and they did not even attend the same type church that the peole of the community had always attended.

Now, after the first week, the new family decided to paint their house a bright Flamingo pink. They even went as far as to change the landscaping of their yard.  Wow!  To top it off, they attended a church that the others in the community resented.

My, how the people in the community stared and snarled." How dare they!"

What shock must have taken place in this community. The people must really feel uneasy. No one had ever attempted to be different. This must be beyond comprehension. The people must be feeling a loss of control, when the changes can't be stopped. What will become of this "perfect" community?

Two solutions.

First, the solution could be violence. Yes, rock throwing, insults ,windows broken, and the yard trumpled. STOP!STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or, the second senario could be arranging a welcoming party of people to meet the new neighbors. Just maybe the mother cooks, the children play, the men have ideas to swap about lawns, and maybe, just maybe there will be more familiarlarities than differences.  Oh, an  actual growth of the mind and an experience of accepting others for who they are could be quite a wild and wonderful awakening.

Who is your neighbor?