Neighbours: They Stick Closer Than Relatives

Good day and happy new week to you all my dearly beloved friends in the Hive blockchain and particularly, all of you in the Hive Learners platform. Every week, it feels homely coming over here to discuss topical issues as stipulated by the honourable moderators of this community. Today, the topic before us is as important as life itself. I would take an African.perspe rice to this discussion and hopes that it helps my followers and readers in their day to day relationship with their neighbours.  [Generated Via Ideogram](https://ideogram.ai/g/ZcKTC2FfTFmSkSt1FZx2Zw/1) ### Who is your neighbour? From the African point of view, a neighbour is any one who you are liable to help or refer a favour. Here, we have seen that a neighbour is not just that person who lives next door. The concept of a neighbour goes beyond people who live in close proximity with us. African folklore tells a tale of the tortoise and a dove. The tortoise needed to cross over to the other side of their community but needed feathers to do so, so he approached the dove knowing that the dove is gentle and humble. The dove declined initially because of the conning nature of the tortoise but later agreed to lend the tortoise some.of her feathers to be able to fly across to the other community. The purpose of this journey was because there was an event where plenty of food would be served. Since it was a famine on their own side, they all had to grace the event or die of hunger. They reached the other community and there were many of their folks, dancing, eating and making merry. The dove decided to pitch a tent with the tortoise since they have become friends. Soon, they were served food of different kinds but the tortoise took all the food to himself. The gentle dove had to relocate to another seat just to get a dish. After the party ended, they took their flight to their community, the dove angrily took her feathers from the tortoise because of his greediness and left him there stranded. It took the intervention of the vulture who backed the tortoise and flew back to their community. In the course of flying back, the tortoise fell off and broke his back. This is why the tortoise has scars all over his back till date. The foregoing story tells us that we should be temperate and accommodate their neighbours. We should always consider the truth that we are all humans before any other thing. And as such, we should care, love, be kind and show sympathy when humanity is at its lowest moment. ### My Responsibility To My Neighbour Some years ago, I had a quarrel with my neighbour the day before. The next day, I went out to watch a football match and then it began to rain with my washed clothes hanging on the line outside. Already, I gave up on the clothes because of the quarrel I had with my neighbour the previous day but to my amazement,when I returned home, I couldn't find my clothes on the lines. A few hours after I entered my apartment, a knock on the door awoke my curiosity and behold, it was my neighbour with hands full of dried clothes. She simply said: > I couldn't leave them to get beaten by the rain. That singular act sent goosebumps on my skin. There was no discussion afterwards but that was when the quarrel ended. I learned a lesson, several lessons. It is my responsibility to always find out about the wellbeing of my neighbour, especially those who live close to me. I have also made it a responsibility to pray for my neighbours. All manners of.prayer are offered on their behalf. It is good to wish your neighbour well. There will be peaceful coexistence when your neighbour is at peace too. There is nothing bad in sharing gifts with your neighbour especially on their special occasion like birthdays or anniversaries. Do not discuss your neighbour with another neighbour. It will lower your esteem and respect. When you open the door of gossip of your neighbour to another friend or neighbour, very soon, you would become an item of mockery or gossip too, So do not start it. You can share opportunities with your neighbour to escape the scourge of poverty. Many times, the people who give opportunities to break even are not our relatives but good and godly neighbours. May I advise that you be a good neighbour from today to make that difference. Neighbours still closer than a brother, think twice.