Hello!!!
Fair warning, this post is probably more catered to people who aren’t in my target audience anyway, but enjoy!
This blog really is developing into my attempt to break down the barriers, as I see them, that keep us from building meaningful, genuine community with each other. As an extension from Tuesday, there are certain factors in our lives that keep us from having the free time to do so.
Today, I’m going to be a bit more personal about work.
This economy has been a bit of a mess for a while. We’ve had recessions and housing market crashes and stock market crashes and… Even the past few years, inflation is through the roof, and our basic necessities are getting more expensive by the day.
All we can really do is work harder, maybe get a few more jobs, try to make more money, and hope we stay afloat.
It’s not as much of an issue here yet since Alamogordo is just barely expanding separate from the base, but adding in a two-way commute on top of spending most of your waking hours at a job sounds horrendous. And again, that’s not even factoring in things like bills, errands, groceries, child-rearing, laundry, yard work, etc.
I very much hesitate to claim disability is anything close to a privilege because I live with the effects of ableism every day of my life, but I will admit not having to participate in that particular rat race for my non-livable amount of money is nice. Some disabled folks still do.
Since most of our time is occupied trying to earn money just to afford basic necessities, the absolute last thing on many people’s minds is nurturing relationships outside of their own home. (Notice how the ideal of the nuclear family ties in a bit here too.)
Going back to my post about prioritizing cars over pedestrians, the everyday interactions with neighbors on the street or strangers at a store aren’t as common as they used to be. You have to pick and choose (sometimes under duress) how you spend your time and energy, and those little acts to combat loneliness might have to be sacrificed, because these days they take more effort. Isn’t it easier to have Walmart pick out your groceries for you? Or order through GrubHub instead of driving to a restaurant? Or stream a new movie on one of the billions of platforms instead of going to a theater?
Society and its pressures are making isolation very convenient. A lot of those pressures are unavoidable, and that’s kind of the point. I don’t want to be alarmist, no matter how justified it is, but it is way past time we start intentionally making that effort as much as we can.
Next time you make too much food, offer the excess to a neighbor. The next time you’re leaving the house with time to spare, offer a ride. The next time your neighbor is sick, offer to pick up some medicine or tea. The next time you’re getting rid of clothes, offer them for your friends or neighbors to look through; moneyless thrifting! Hell, the next time someone crosses your mind, reach out on Messenger and say hi!
They don’t have to be dramatic acts to make a difference, and they build trust and security in a community.
Salud.
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