to think there is such a thing as society?

8 miles, I meant to say.

I live in a small Australian suburb and have very friendly neighbours. The little 6 year old next door is almost like a grand child to me, her Mum and I chat occasionally, the single woman at the corner comes for walks with me, the little lass, and all our dogs. We often have a coffee together. Old John and young Carol round the corner own two horses each, and let the little lass help with them, and have a ride on Saturdays. Up the street a young 15 year old has just gone back to live with her Nan, I knew her when she lived here before when she was younger, and now she has a cute puppy which my pretend grandchild loves to see.....

I think it is a true society - the sort Thatcher said didn't exist. I'm sure there are similar places in Britain. But there are also insular places too. My suburb is very working class: I once lived in a posh suburb only about miles away, and everyone was insular.

A mixed lot here. I think according to who bought the council houses they were living in and who came after?
I try to be a good neighbour myself but...
One older lot near living with a wolf-pack of large dogs; one (next to me unfortunately) letting their house, bought, go to rack and ruin.
Others across the road are old hats here and friendly.
But my friendly neighbour next door, here a long while, has just died after a long struggle with cancer.

rubylady my mum has lived on the same council estate for 81 years. She moved there at the age of 4 when the estate was still being built. She has friends nearby that she was at school with and she knows all of her neighbours and many of their children and grandchildren. She rarely goes out now, but stops to chat when she does and still seems to find out all the news of the estate.

I live on a council estate and it's like still living in the 70's. Everyone knows everyone else, new people get welcomed with open arms, we all look out for the elderly, new babies are rejoiced, children play in the street, if I need help there is always someone around to help. I don't do well in areas where people keep themselves to themselves. In my last home, private housing, you could have been lying on the floor for a month and no one would be bothered. So please don't take notice of what is portrayed on the television about council estates, they are not people skiving on benefits, they are a wealth of caring individuals struggling together and helping one another.

A lady contacted me recently re people being neighbouly and she has been so disappointed at her reception , she is a single mum working from home , child about 3 years of age, not certain if she has a partner but she is amazed at how unfriendly the neighbours are , don't speak and don't want to speak to her. Is some of this attitude due to television ,and using computers ?

It is amazing how our 'roots' influence our reaction. I always find it strange that people often react in a 'one track mind' kind of way- either on the left, or on the right, or from a Christian or Atheist perspective- or British or European- etc- because it is where 'home' is. My family and OH's family come from all over the place, and are affilitated to all sorts of religions, and athiesm/humanism, cultures, social 'classes', etc, etc,. And this strongly influences the way I react to most issues- as I try to see things from all sides. Perhaps too I often try to please everybody- and become a bit of a chameleon- but as I get older and my parents (who came from VERY different backgrounds in so many ways) it is becoming easier to avoid this.

Politically, although politics fascinate me, and are the solutions to so many problems- I found it very difficult in the UK- as the 'winner takes all' or 'first past the post' system- meant my vote always ended up in the bin- and were I could not become involved due to the left/right ridiculous seesaw.

I'm happy to say that where I live there are many communities of the sort that absent has mentioned and that generally there is still a great deal of care and concern both within and between the various groupings.

Human beings only survived because they were/are social animals and, of course, there is such a thing as a society. In fact, there are many societies or social groupings, from small ones - the family, the neighbours, the dog walkers in the park - to medium ones - the school, the church, the supporters' club, the workplace - larger ones - the city, the county, the local region - to large ones - the country, the global region. And we are all members of the human race. How all these societies operate and how positive they are for their own well-being is dependent on the individuals who form them.

I wondered if this had influenced you when you said on another thread thst it is not your responsibility to "worry about the world and his wife" and you feel that is the job of "politicians and charities". Where would you draw the "community" boundary? And is not caring (for want of a better word) about the wider global community not just another example of insularity.

The area I live on the Island is very much like that - it came as a bit of a shock when I moved here just how unfriendly and insular they all are. They turn out to do various charitable work and then scurry back indoors again.

One day, I smelt smoke, quite an acrid smoke and went out to see which direction it was coming from and noticed it was coming from the rear of the house of an elderly lady who lives a few doors up from my house. The whole area where I live in not particularly friendly and never has been but I went to make sure she was okay. She had accidently set the chip pan on fire but had managed to put it out. Not one other neighbour went to see if she was okay.

So many instances of a lack of neighbourliness and/or community attitude - one chap wanted to get a street party going for something or other and asked if I'd help (I said I would) but neighbours were not interested in attending let alone helping him.

Haven't noticed anything like that round here

Hardened attitudes is what I mean . Less neighbourliness or community attitude. A sort of 'kick the cat' outlook.

Whose tough situations? Are you asking whether we'd help out someone in need? (in which case the answer is obviously 'yes')