Open the door to restoring the great American community

By Matthew Emerzian

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Do you remember 1926? Chances are you don't ... but 1926 was one of the worst years in the history of the American community. Calvin Coolidge was our 30th president, Pontiac cars were first created, Winnie-The-Pooh was printed, Kelly Blue Book was first published, the U.S. population was 115 million, and Route 66 was built from Los Angeles to Chicago.

You probably are asking why any of these events make 1926 the worst year in the history of the American community. Good question, because none of these are what I want to talk about. I want to talk about one man and his invention and how it has lead to the destruction to our communities and neighborhoods.

His name is C.G. Johnson. His invention was the electronic garage door opener. You now probably think I have lost my mind, but hear me out for a second and see if you can relate.

Facts

• The average dual-career couple work a combined 18.2 hours a day.

• Urban sprawl is creating longer commutes — about 25 minutes per day.

• People spend less than 15 minutes per day doing outside chores and gardening compared to more than three hours watching TV or movies and surfing on the Internet.

• The average person or family has friends over for dinner about 45 percent less often than they did in the '70s.

• The increased number of fenced back yards, coupled with the disappearance of front porches and verandas, has privatized residences more than ever.

Every morning, I wake up to get ready for work. I shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, read the newspaper, go into the garage, get in my car, start my car, open the garage door (with the press of a button), pull out of the garage and drive to work.

Every evening, I come home from work and, as I drive up my house, I open the garage door (same button), drive my car into the garage, turn off my car, close the garage door, go inside my house, eat dinner, relax, watch TV, read a book, work some more, then go to bed.

In other words, to my neighbors, I don't even exist. I am just the man behind the wheel. I never see them, I never have to talk to them, and I appear only when I am in my car either driving out of or into my garage.

Thus, I rest my case that 1926 and the invention of the electronic garage door by C.G. Johnson has ruined our neighborhoods.

I know I've made light of this situation, but I do believe there is some truth to my theory. Regardless, the point is that I know, without doubt, that our neighborhoods are different today than they used to be. I am not proud to admit this, but I do not know all of my neighbor's names. I don't know what they do, where they are from, or anything else about them. If I need flour or sugar, I go to the store. If I am leaving town and need someone to feed my cats, I call a friend who lives 10 minutes away. This is something on which I need to work.

How about you? Do you know your neighbors? Do you help one another out, lend one another things, or invite one another over for dinner? If so, my hat is off to you. If not, then maybe, like me, it is time to do something about it. I know that getting rid of your electric garage door might be out of the question, but maybe we can all start by introducing ourselves one day and see where that leads us. Who knows? Maybe we won't have to cancel our mail next time we leave town. Neighbors matter.

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