Community Spirit and Social Cohesion: Part of a Country's Culture?

 

  Recent events on the Romanian political scene gave me some food for thought about an aspect of society which varies from country to country or community to community, and which some people regard as necessary, whilst others remain indifferent to its presence.  I'm not talking about political views, but about things like solidarity between people, social cohesion, or community spirit, and which, for the first time since the 1989 Revolution against communism, seemed to regain their place in the lives of Romanian people. This was an isolated event, but what about day-to-day life? 

    To tell you the truth, I always considered Romania a highly individualistic country. People rarely trust each other, or often keep communication to a minimum necessary, generally tending to stay within their circle of family members and long-term friends. In living or work environments, although relationships are cordial or civil, it is rare that people are interested in becoming a team if circumstances don't specifically require it, or simply becoming friends with the people they come into contact with every day. Of course, there are exceptions, but unfortunately, they don't represent the majority. Or at least, I refer to the capital city, Bucharest, and I'm not sure about smaller cities or the country-side. I am not sure whether it's about the current historical period vs. the past, or about the social environment.  For example, I grew up in a popular, not-so-high-brow neighbourhood of the city. My neighbours were not particularly rich, but they were friendly, trustworthy, we all knew each other, and supported each other in times of need. In the early '90s, though, we moved to a posh area, where our new neigbours were not half as friendly,  I always felt like a bit of an outsider, and it took me ages to fit in. 

      By the same token, in Italy there are similar discourses regarding contradictions between the North and South of the country. However, as you know from my previous post, or personally from myself if you know me, even as an immigrant in Milano, I would still give Northern Italians pretty high marks in that department. Maybe they don't have that "in your face", intrusive attitude, but still, needing help with something and being able to ask your neighbour without being given strange looks was important to me. Or, in a neighbourhood full of small businesses, shops and caffeterias where people know each other and greet each other even from afar, the atmosphere is just perfect. 
     And speaking of big cities, one big surprise for me was London. A huge city, indeed! But, being divided into numerous boroughs, it often feels like a conglomerate of residential areas that look like small cities (apart from the city center). Having separate administrative institutions, and everything close, life gathers around the same spots. People not only carry out their daily errands, but also socialize in these self-contained communities. It is impossible not to get to know a fair amount of people within the first month of living in the same neigbourhood. Not to mention that neighbour who invited everyone in our (small) appartment building for a getting-to-know-each-other dinner. You definitely don't get that everywhere!
       What about your countries, or your cities? Do you live and carry out your activities in a friendly environment? Is it easy to make friends, or everyone sticks to what they have to do and this is enough? Do you think it is a cultural thing, like a tradition belonging to particular parts of the world more than others? And, most of all, do you think that community spirit is a good thing or a bad thing? 

(photo: www.geekandjock.com)