October 9th 2026
I live in a small bedroom community on Staten Island, where neighbors routinely said, “Good morning, how are you?” even if it was only out of politeness and a sense of neighborliness. I have since moved to another state, to a community where offering a simple “good morning” is met with suspicion, as if I have an ulterior motive or want something from them. I find myself questioning whether the situation has truly become this negative, whether I have been sheltered all these years, or whether there is a deeper social issue at work.
