Bad Neighbours

Love Thy Neighbour-that is what Jesus preached. The story of the Good Samaritan testifies who is a neigbour. He is someone who we care as if he is of our own.

Then in law, we have the concept of the "duty of care". Everyone using the road is a neighbour-be it a pedestrian or a fellow driver. The law expects us to be considerate of other road users as if we are all good neighbours; each one having an obligatory duty of care to drive safely and ensure safety for all.

What about bad neighbours? The ones that stay next to the walls on the other side?

Yes, proximity breeds enmity. Believe me, if houses are kept far apart from each other like bungalows in hill resorts, then we will not even talk about "bad neighbours". But in the suburbs and in the urban areas, we share the little space with others.

The worse types of houses are tenement flats and terraced houses. Here, neighbours can be an absolute nuisance. Music blaring at odd hours through 'paper-thin' walls. Quarrels over parking spaces. Car scratching in anger. Shouting matches with super expletives!

Here are some 'horror' stories.

-A neighbour had just resurfaced his driveway with a fresh layer of cement. In spite of some big cans placed strategically around it to prevent usage, the neighbour's son drove across the edge of the driveway leaving tyre marks for posterity.

-A neighbour claims that the road shoulder across the road from his house is his to park. He scratches another neighbour's car just to send him a message not ever to park there.

-Neighbours throwing cut leaves that has fallen from a tree outside both their houses into the other house as if the neighbour was responsible for the wind that brought the leaves into his compound in the first place.

-Neigbours ordering another to remove cat pooh from his house because the cat has done the deed in his compound!

-Neighbours turning a blind eye as their dog on a leash poohed in front of a neighbour's gate. He then made haste and vamoosed with the dog after the act.

-Neigbours playing mahjong into the wee morning hours and others screaming their heads off after watching an early morning football match on satellite TV.

-Neigbours quarreled because of outdoor cooking

-Neighbours quarreled because of renovation work that affects their peace.

There are many more of such horror stories. I am sure you have your sack of them.

The message I would like to deliver here: If you have neighbours, the likelihood is you will make enemies of them because of the proximity issue. The proximity issue brings along with it all sorts of bones of contention from noise to smells to car parking problems.

If you can help it, do not stay in low cost apartments or in terraced housing.

Problem is how many of us have a choice?