5 ms·

One thing I’m missing from that period is how close people were together. Yes, partially because there was not much else to do. The neighbor would just walk in

by krychu 7y ago

One thing I’m missing from that period is how close people were together. Yes, partially because there was not much else to do. The neighbor would just walk in to chat or borrow salt, sometimes not even knock at the door, that’s fine. On your name day anyone could show up without an invitation to the party. We, kids, played all day long outside, and you’d have 10-20 close colleagues/friends. Uncountable, captivating games, invented from things like bottle caps, ropes, knifes. You talked and interacted with other human beings all the time. On a day with no school the first thing after breakfast was to go out, and see what everyone else was up to...

b0rsuk 7y ago
Nowadays in Poland fenced neighborhoods are very popular. Houses with a gate, an intercom and a fence. Beaches are also fenced and claimed with folding screens.
- kolinko 7y ago
  Correct me if I'm wrong but fenced neighbourhoods don't necessarily bring people closer together. I have friends living in those and they know nothing about their neighbours.
  - b0rsuk 7y ago
    My point exactly. In my neighborhood these fenced homes are often at the cost of public walkways, built from public taxes. I used them to go to school. Public spaces in general are bought out. What used to be a soccer field is now a gym, parking lot and a bowling alley. A popular marketplace is closed. Lots of land is sold to developers. I think it's because Poles have developed an extreme allergy to anything public and common.
    - krychu 7y ago
      Looking at what was once a football pitch with regular 11 vs 11 games now you see void space, hardly recognizable as a football pitch, with nature slowly taking over, grass growing tall. Occasionally someone will take their dog out there for a run. But the pitch long forgot what it feels like to have kids run over and scream.
saiya-jin 7y ago
One thing I won't be able to provide to my kids easily is the huge community of +-same age kids nearby them. I grew up in one of those communism-planned tall concrete buildings, and within our building (I think 4 different entrances) there was maybe 50 kids of my age, +-2 years. There were another 20 buildings like that within 1km. Due to time of raising the building, most families had 1-3 kids of same age. Many went to same school as me (200m far, walked there alone from 2nd day) so we kind of knew everybody. All the crazy games, adventures... my parents just sent me out, I came back in 3-5 hours, and they had no idea or control over what I did. I went to distant forests, metal scrapyards, climbed on roofs of buildings that had ladders (including our school), played tons of made up games. I considered this a normal childhood, nothing special. Now I don't think it would be possible anymore, too much changed. In system, people, mindset.

by krychu 7y ago

b0rsuk 7y ago

Nowadays in Poland fenced neighborhoods are very popular. Houses with a gate, an intercom and a fence. Beaches are also fenced and claimed with folding screens.

kolinko 7y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong but fenced neighbourhoods don't necessarily bring people closer together. I have friends living in those and they know nothing about their neighbours.
- b0rsuk 7y ago
  My point exactly. In my neighborhood these fenced homes are often at the cost of public walkways, built from public taxes. I used them to go to school. Public spaces in general are bought out. What used to be a soccer field is now a gym, parking lot and a bowling alley. A popular marketplace is closed. Lots of land is sold to developers. I think it's because Poles have developed an extreme allergy to anything public and common.
  - krychu 7y ago
    Looking at what was once a football pitch with regular 11 vs 11 games now you see void space, hardly recognizable as a football pitch, with nature slowly taking over, grass growing tall. Occasionally someone will take their dog out there for a run. But the pitch long forgot what it feels like to have kids run over and scream.

saiya-jin 7y ago

One thing I won't be able to provide to my kids easily is the huge community of +-same age kids nearby them. I grew up in one of those communism-planned tall concrete buildings, and within our building (I think 4 different entrances) there was maybe 50 kids of my age, +-2 years. There were another 20 buildings like that within 1km. Due to time of raising the building, most families had 1-3 kids of same age. Many went to same school as me (200m far, walked there alone from 2nd day) so we kind of knew everybody. All the crazy games, adventures... my parents just sent me out, I came back in 3-5 hours, and they had no idea or control over what I did. I went to distant forests, metal scrapyards, climbed on roofs of buildings that had ladders (including our school), played tons of made up games. I considered this a normal childhood, nothing special. Now I don't think it would be possible anymore, too much changed. In system, people, mindset.