What Happened?

If you are talking about America then I think it all started when we all got televisions. After everyone got a tv in their home they stopped going out to do things. The didn't sit on their porches as much and going to community events. I also believe a lot of the problem started when we stopped having police officers walk the beat. They separated themselves from us making it a sort of them against us thing. In the good old days the officer that walked the beat was your friend and your neighbor. People felt safer knowing he was out there helping protect their neighborhoods.

We truly have become a multicultural country, so it doesn't necessarily mean that the people who share your common interests are going to be the same ones who are living next door to you. Therefore, you might go elsewhere to find the people you feel most comfortable with as friends. Then, there's busing--something originally started to achieve racial balance but has now, imo, outlived its original purpose. Because there are kids who live in the same neighborhood who might not go to the same school, they find friends from other areas of a city and bond with them. Same goes for those parents who still attend PTA/PTO meetings. They'll be meeting parents from other parts of the city and planning things together with their kids. Of course, those who are involved in extracurricular activities such as sports, band, etc. will be further bonded to each other while living a distance from each other. At one time, people were more inclined to go to their neighborhood churches (something that most Catholics still do) but now will go to churches all over and bond with members of their congregation. And who's to say that you won't end up with neighbors where you drive each other bonkers? But--even with outside bonds--it would be nice to also bond with neighbors on one level or another, even if they aren't your bosom buddies. There are, after all, different levels of friendship, and your neighbors--while they might not be among your very best friends--are, more often or not, somebody where it's nice to know that they're around to wave at and talk to when you have time. So, when people are out in their yard having cookouts and see their neighbors out-and-about, why not invite them to join you? They might say Yes and either become closer to you, meet some people at your cookout that they can bond with at some level, or both.