from Sidewalks to Social Networks

I was listening to a man talk one day about the disappearance of sidewalks in neighborhoods. A generation ago families would come home and walk up down their sidewalks learning about the lives of their neighbors. However, somewhere ago the way we stopped using sidewalks, we'd come home with our take-out dinners, close the garage door, and cocoon in our homes isolated from our neighbors. I don't know why, maybe we got busier, maybe we just stop liking our next door neighbors, and wanted to find a way to hand pick our neighbors. We all seemed isolated until the emergence of the SOCIAL NETWORK. Networks like Facebook, My Space, God's Social Network, and personal blogs gave all of us the freedom to hand pick our new neighbors. No longer do we need to learn the social skills necessary for interacting with a next door neighbor who sees life differently, now we can shut them out and simply focus on a network of friends built around common interest or ideologies. Is it good or bad? I don't know, all I do know is that it gives a whole new perspective on the Biblical question, "Who is my neighbor?" Social networks have replaced sidewalks but I hope they don't replace the Good Samaritan.