by Wayne Leon Learmond

Created on: December 17, 2010   Last Updated: December 22, 2010

A genuine friend is very hard to find in this day and age. That is never more so when it comes to living next door to a good neighbour. Good neighbours are as rare as diamonds, and should be treated as such. The qualities of a good neighbour are many: they are there for you if you have any problems. A good neighbour offers a listening ear, and companionship. A good neighbour will help you through whatever problems you are facing. And a good neighbour is only too willing to help you out if you need their help.

Good neighbours can indeed become like extended family members. Years ago the streets used to be filled with neighbours, the like of which are mentioned above. Years ago, people could be relied upon to help one another in their hour of need. Everyone chipped in, if someone was down on their luck, and everyone was willing to give a helping hand and a listening ear to those that needed it.

These days however, it is a rarity to find people who are so giving off themselves. People are left alone, to fend for themselves and there have been too many cases of old age pensioners who had been left for days and weeks, without anyone paying them a visit. Their bodies discovered months later, within their living rooms, and this in the heart of a society in which it has become every man, or woman, for themselves.

The caring about each other has been lost in a society that does not look upon caring as being the 'in' thing. So, when one finds a good neighbour, it is almost unheard off in this day and age. And, yet they are out there, they may be hard to find, but they are out there, willing to give a helping hand to their fellow neighbours whenever they are needed.

People, especially those of a certain age who remember the past and how everyone would become just like an extended family - even though they were neighbours - long for those days again. They long for the days when they could leave their front doors open, safe in the knowledge that nothing would be touched in their homes. This was simply because neighbours in the past looked out for one another, their homes, and their area.

To get a good neighbour these days, is a rare thing to have. They are a God-send to those people who may have just moved into an area. They are priceless to those who are not quite sure about whether to approach or not for fear of being rejected, or looked down on. Neighbours who introduce themselves to a new family, in a friendly, warming manner, can do wonders to make a new family feel at ease.

Many people who have lived in an area, maybe all of their lives, still do not know their neighbour's name, next door, or across the road. People have become strangers now, and this is simply because of the fear factor. Will I be attacked? Will I be ignored? Will I be left to find things out for myself? Society has helped to create situations in which people simply do not communicate with each other and as such, people are left completely isolated and alone.

Good neighbours break the mould, in that they are willing to help in any way they can. They break the ice and, in turn, friendships are formed - and in many cases, for life. The qualities of a good neighbour shine through, time and time again, which is why they are classed as diamonds in an age where trust and friendship seems to have flown by the wayside.

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