San Francisco isn’t too far from where I live. Now and again I will take the ferry over and just wander the streets to absorb the pulse of the city. My favorite activity has no agenda; to walk about, sometimes catching a cable car or taxi at my whim. There is a tangible energy one can often feel within the people you meet; not all of course. Some are so vibrant they exude an expectation of life to be lived in fullness of the moment.
I am sure you can find this in any group of people when gathered together, but since cities have such a huge concentration of humanity in a small area, it just seems easier to notice.
This makes me think about “community” in our society. In times of old, I’m sure people drew together out of common needs to help one another for practical purposes. Of course families and friendships would multiply in such an environment. What is “community” today though? I was challenged by a question last week asking if I knew my neighbors. My answer was I don’t know any of them more than a wave hello a few times a month.
This made me really think about a truth within me from a practical viewpoint. For all the many ways I try to encourage and love people, how can I ever love my neighbor as I love myself if I don’t even know their names?