Good neighbor, a found treasure

On an interpersonal or relational basis, most ordinary conflicts are embedded or grounded. And this is particularly true for families, siblings, and neighbors. Groups have maintained an online chat community long before, or particularly at this time of the pandemic, where they use to exchange messages, information, including greetings, and many others.

But if two or more participants were mistaken, such a lengthy and heated exchange of messages would take place in the chat community, enabling other members to know those areas that are supposedly exclusive.

There are plenty of reasons why we may have conflicts with our neighbors, from barking dogs excessively to playing loud music at all hours of the night. The world is a vast community filled with diverse people of all kinds. Often these people may not make great neighbors, but we can't exactly choose who lives around us.

There is a significant difference between a neighbor's mild annoyance and one who seriously interferes with our quality of life. When we are concerned with the former, it might not be worth rocking the boat. 

Often times we’re blind to our own flaws. Our neighbor may not be aware that they often blast the volume on their TV so loud other people can hear it. The better we can document what’s going on, the better we can illustrate our point to our neighbor.

If we live in a housing community, the chances are that the behavior of occupants is determined by existing policies and guidelines. Check the lease or other housing contract to see if there are guidelines on the problem we have. We'll have a much stronger argument if what our neighbor is doing is a direct breach of the housing contract.

Power resides in numbers. If our neighbor does something that affects not just you, but those around you as well, chances are that you're not the only one who wants to fix it. To find out whether it's a thing they've encountered and/or that worries them, speak to other neighbors.

Try to talk to our neighbors themselves before going to upper management about conflicts with neighbors. Before turning it into something larger, give our neighbor an opportunity to hear you out and address the issue on their own. 

When we're frustrated or upset, we're sometimes not our best self. If we have a Zen-like ability to act calm and composed no matter what else is going on, speak to our neighbor about possible issues and we can be respectful and rational.

The goal should be to find a solution, not to force our neighbor to fully alter how they live, unless our neighbor is doing something especially egregious or illegal. The only way to do this is to achieve equilibrium through a compromise.

Without additional support, not all issues with neighbors are solvable. If we have addressed the problem with our neighbor and they are not willing to find a solution, or worse, by doubling down on the actions, they retaliate, we would possibly need to bring in someone else.

When we have a dispute with one of our neighbors, there is no need to suffer in silence. Most of the time, if we approach disagreements with our neighbors from a place of politeness and consideration, we will find a solution without things get messy. Keep our sights on the final target and don't let frustration get in the way of finding a peaceful way to move forward because after all, a good neighbor is a found treasure.