Morgan Bell

Professor Tamara Davis

English Composition II

1 February 2019

Love Your Neighbor

There are many people that need help and support, but sadly, many go without the help

that they desperately need. When people within the community look out for each other, people

do not feel so isolated, and many of their needs are met. Our communities would be better if

people adopted the mindset of being good neighbors. According to Marcus Brotherton’s essay,

“On Being a Good Neighbor”, a good neighbor will see himself as part the community in which

he lives and take an active role in changing things for the better (par. 18). I feel that being a good

neighbor begins with your family. It is so easy to go on with your life and not necessarily offer

assistance unless asked. I have noticed that my sister is experiencing anxiety and depression

which has gone on for at least a year, so I feel that it is not something she is handling well by

herself. I need to find a way to be a good neighbor to my sister and help. I must be brave enough

to confront her about the problem, assist her in finding appropriate professional help, and educate

myself on mental health so I can continue to be a solid support system for her throughout the

process.

The first step I would take in supporting my sister is to confront her about the issue. This

confrontation gives her empowerment and self-awareness begins to take root. Once the

discussion beings, I need to keep it going and ask what I can do to help support her. Marcus

Brother further explains that being a good neighbor would be “a neighborhood filled with

belonging, identity, empathy, understanding, and a strong sense of community”(par. 8). It is

important to start a dialogue with a person, not a debate. My job is to listen without trying to

change her opinion. It is an awkward and uneasy conversation to have, but it needs to happen in

order to get her help.

Next, I would help her find the appropriate professional help. Her issues are solvable if

she finds and seeks the correct treatment. I can help reduce even more stress by having several

options of treatment ready for her to choose. Another point that Marcus Brothers drives home is

that, “Pathak and Runyon wrote, ‘When the people who live around each other become closer in

their relationships, great things happen,’”(par. 39). Once you show compassion and acceptance

towards people, even through the hardest of times such as recovery, that is valuable beyond

measure. Encouraging people and being a kind neighbor to them so they will seek the help they

need will only benefit the community around us and the people in it.

Lastly, I need to educate myself as much as I can about what is going on by being

familiar with the issue. The more you learn and the more you know what to expect, the easier it

will be to handle the situation and provide her with the right assistance. I can even offer to drive

her to the doctor and wait for her in the waiting area. There is such a stigma on receiving mental

health assistance that it can be frightening for some people to begin the process. However, I

believe in the idea that Marcus Brothers makes when he says, “Mayor Frie stated, ‘The majority

of issues that our community is facing would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could

just figure out a way to become a community of great neighbors’”(par. 13).

Doing what is right is often hard but rewarding. My sister needs help, and I need to

resolve myself to confront her with the problem. Then, I need to help her seek appropriate

medical care. Finally, I need to educate myself about her needs so that I will better understand
what she is going through. My sister is important to me. I see that she needs help, and I must be

willing and brave enough to follow through and make sure she gets the help she needs.
 Work Cited

Brotherton, Marcus. “Being a Good Neighbor.” The Art of Manliness, 26 Oct. 2018,
www.artofmanliness.com/articles/on-being-neighborly/.