Love Thy Neighbor?

I have to be careful how I write this because I don't want this to sound like I'm fishing for compliments, and I'm not, but I need to sound off on this topic.

Where I grew up we played outside from dusk til dark, we never locked our doors, and we had events like block parties throughout the year. You knew every neighbor for blocks, their names, their jobs and yes, even their naughty little secrets. When a neighbor was sick or suffered a loss it impacted us all and we responded with charity. I lived in an age where people cared about people, you care about them and you cared what they thought about you. We were raised to believe we should contribute to our community and our society, and that a man was judged by those he helped along the path of life. I took those childhood memories and lessons to heart, I cherished them and carried them with me throughout my life, and they have served me well.

Now this may be a rhetorical question but when did those things change?

I've lived in my home for 28 years and I'm ashamed to say I probably only know about 12 of my neighbors. But those that I do know I have, over the years, developed a good relationship with and tried to be that neighbor I remember from growing up.

As an example; my neighbor to the west had a bad hip and for four years I cut his lawn every week. In return, he'd plow my drive during the winter with his pick-up truck, he got it. Whenever it stormed the tree in the front yard of the widow next door would drop huge limbs and I would cut them up. When she passed away I cared for the house for her niece that lived up north who inherited it.

When my neighbor across the street lost his job and moved to Florida I cut his lawn for almost two years until the house sold. Some in the neighborhood thought I'd fallen on hard times and was cutting lawns. Little did they know I did it because I'm a good neighbor they paid for nothing. My other neighbor kitty corner from me asked to park his boat in my drive while he tried to sell it and I said sure, and then when he lost his job and went to Tennessee for job training I trimmed his lawn and watched over his family. When he got back I called a friend in a related field and tried to help him get a job. He was astounded, he said he owed me...I said no, you're my neighbor.

The young kids that just moved in behind me were unprepared for being without power for two days and were about to loose everything in their refrigerator so I hauled over an extension cord from my generator and plugged them in, they were so grateful they didn't have money for more food.

Over the years I have done things for them and some have done nice things for me, but what puzzles me is the majority look at me like I'm goofy. To me it's simple you reap what you sow...I believe in karma, and I believe the lessons my community taught me as a child.

When did those lessons go out of fashion? And more importantly how do we get them back? Perhaps you know....