Why is having good neighbours important?

Neighbours are people who live next door or near to us. If we live
in a neighbourhood with good neighbours, we are fortunate and
blessed. Good neighbours are extremely helpful and make our
stay safer and more enjoyable.

I am lucky to live in a neighbourhood with mostly good

neighbours. My whole family is very close to our next-door
neighbours. Just like our family, theirs is comprised of four
members - Encik Ramlan, his wife Puan Aini, his daughter Fatim
and his son Asraf. Fatim and Astraf are in the same age group as
me and my brother. Every evening and weekend, we play
together and there is never a dull moment. We often study
together and help one another with our homework too. In the
mornings, our mothers visit the market together. After that, they
go jogging in the park. Since our fathers share the same hobby of
fishing, they go fishing at weekends by a river which is nearby
our houses.

Good neighbours can be helpful as well. When my family are

away on holidays, we request our neighbours to keep an eye on
our house. They are also willing to help us water our plants and
feed our pets. ‘Neighbours are better than relatives that live far
away’ is a Chinese proverb that explains the importance of having
good neighbours. Due to the fact that they live in close proximity
to us and spend more time with us, they are more intimate to us.
Naturally, they can offer us better assistance when we face
problems.

During the previous school holidays while we were visiting my

grandparents in a village, a burglar attempted to break in our
house. It was about midnight and Fatim was doing her holiday
assignment by the window of her room when she heard rustling
noises from our house. Upon looking out of the window, she saw
a burglar trying to prise open a window of our house. At once,
she raced downstairs. Her parents, who were watching television
in the living room, were quite surprised to see her in such a
hurry. After informing them what was transpiring, Encik Ramlan
called the police immediately. When the policemen arrived, the
burglar had broken in our house and was ransacking it. The
policemen acted professionally and apprehended the burglar
successfully within ten minutes. We were extremely grateful to
them for their benevolence.

Having good neighbours is important because it makes our life in

a neighbourhood safer, happier and more fun. We also tend to
have more peace of mind. Although we can choose our friends
but not our neighbours, we must remember that we get what we
give. As the saying goes, ‘do unto others as you would have them
do unto you’. Therefore, we should at least try to be good
neighbours in order to build good relationships with our
neighbours.