An open letter to our neighbours (and churches, and communities)

Dear neighbours

The aim of this letter is to sincerely and honestly thank you.

Thank you for teaching us so much about neighbourly love, acceptance and welcoming others. Through your perfect example we now know what the opposite of these virtues look like. You have shown me exactly what I do not want to be like as a neighbour.

Thank you also for making our kids and their friends feel unwanted and unwelcome – even sad and afraid at times – by your racially charged comments and yelling out of windows. They too have learnt what the opposite of being a kind neighbour is through your sterling example. It gave us, as parents, the opportunity to teach our kids that there will be places and people in this world who do not like them or welcome them, and that this is okay, because they will always be loved by their parents. It is, however, unfortunate that this lesson had to be learnt at the place we have called home for 5 years.

Finally, my sincere thanks to you all for making life “at home” so painful and intolerable for me personally that I have felt compelled to be brave and earnestly look for a better paying job and a different place to stay. Some may call it “forced personal growth”, I suppose.

You have shown me how easily a home can become a comfort zone that traps narrow minded people into not developing as people, not growing in character, and thus becoming less tolerant of others. Your behaviour and lack of compassion have made it abundantly clear to me that I would never want to settle in any place long enough to become so jaded and “settled” that the occasional sounds of children playing in a communal garden upsets me.

We have built such a great relationship with our landlords that we will be sad to leave, but I am sure they understand our predicament and the toxicity of our current living circumstances, and that they will support our decision. Until then, though, you’re stuck with us (or we with you?).

No matter what your race, religion, creed or culture may be, I trust that you also believe that “what goes around, comes around” or, like the apostle Paul put it: “A [person] reaps what [they] sow.” (Galatians 6:7)

My sincere prayer for each of you is that whatever life sends your way will be far more gracious and kind to you than you have been to us.

Yours truly and with every blessing

The neighbour downstairs

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash