Such is the situation that people who live in apartment buildings rarely know their neighbors and only exchange greetings from afar. Not knowing people by name, they only identify the people who live near them through their vehicles, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
According to Ashraf Al-Abbas, who lives in a rented apartment, the neighborhood spirit varies from person to person in cities where most people do not own their homes and often change residence.
“People who live in cities realize that the apartments they live in are not their own and so they are prone to moving home to other districts,” he said.
Al-Abbas has been living for numerous years in the Al-Awamiya area of Qatif where people maintain good relations with their neighbors, something that is not found in major cities in the Eastern Province such as Dammam, Alkhobar and Dhahran.
Fahd Al-Qahtani believes that the style of urban life is fast-paced and that people do not have time to interact with each other.
“However, this does not mean that all city people lead lives without interacting with each other. Some of them do not know anything about their neighbors. This is mainly because they are always busy and return home late in the evening after finishing work. Then, they prefer to stay at home with their families,” he said.
Social expert Abdul Ilah Al-Tarouti said urban life is much more complicated compared to the simple rural life. “Our cities have been witnessing growth for over 50 years. They’ve compelled people to change the way they live ... the situation at work, strict labor regulations, distance from their original homes and other such factors also have a direct impact on them changing their lifestyles,” he said, adding that people who live in villages are also often affected.
Al-Tarouti said urban life is not itself responsible for the break up of relations in general, especially neighborly relations.
“The developments and changes that have taken place over the past few decades are the major distinguishing factors in this respect. They have contributed substantially to changing the way we live,” he said.
Al-Tarouti recalled that people used to have more time in the past, especially when working in the fields or herding livestock.
“Nowadays, people go to work and return home at a fixed time. The world has changed tremendously and everything is governed by time. Nobody can leave work and return home whenever he wants. This is the situation even with businessmen. Some jobs cannot be postponed. This is a development that has come about at the expense of other matters, such as interacting with neighbors or spending time with them,” he added.
Al-Tarouti said the fact that people are unable to take holidays from work when they want has also affected the way they interact with each other.
Islam also teaches people to take care of their neighbors, said Al-Tarouti, adding that nobody wants to break relations with their neighbors.
“The IT and communication revolution is also another factor that consumes people’s leisure time. People living in cities spend their free time watching television or chatting or browsing the Internet,” he said.
“Children prefer to stay at home watching television or playing on the Internet rather than with other children outside. This is another factor affecting the way people interact in our cities,” he added.
Fatima Ali said there have been recent changes in people’s customs and traditions.
“This virtually ends up in the breaking of relations with one’s neighbors. Circumstances are man-made. It is unfortunate that some nice customs have changed while others have vanished … In the past, one used to visit his neighbor at anytime, and that was without any type of mannerism. But now, one has to make an appointment,” she said.
According to her, the break in relations among neighbors has generated strong feelings of alienation.
“We used to live in one district where we were keen to maintain good relations with our neighbors. But after shifting to another district, our neighbors changed,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ali Al-Thunayyan drew attention to a fact that he feels most people are unaware of.
“The real issue is difference between manners and behavior — people used to have certain values which included respect, humility and generosity. Interacting nicely with one’s neighbors is a manifestation of this respect. Although the concept of interaction remains, there is a change in how people do it,” he said.
He added that modern modes of communication, such as e-mails and Internet programs, are used by people to interact with each other.
“Interaction with neighbors through email does not belittle the significance of their good intentions,” he said, adding that embracing such changes is well suited to the spirit of our religion.
