Yeah, I did that...
Every now and again I sit down with
my mother and try to keep up with her evening TV routines. This consists of
watching the 5pm report on channel 10, followed by the 6 – 6.30pm report on
channel 9 and lastly A Current Affairs (except I usually insist on watching The
Project instead). Tonight was one of those nights and I was amazed by the
different stories – from Logie Leaks, to an investigative journalist report:
today was just one those full-on news days.
One particular story caught my
attention – that of the 3 year old toddler found playing next to the body of
her dead mother within her home. So I thought I would share what I know and
what it means for society.
So what I can deduce from the three separate
coverage of the story is this: a year old toddler girl was found playing next
to her deceased mother in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. If this was not
heartbreaking enough, a disturbing fact came into light when officials looked
over the mother’s body: she had been dead for at least three days, other
reports are saying five. This meant that the child was left completely alone
for up to five days and it is suspected she only survived from eating Easter
eggs.
The last time the mother was seen was
Easter Monday, collecting some of her washing before going inside with the
chore only half completed. From then on several days passed and it wasn’t until
a neighbour found the laundry still left out suspicious and contacted the local
priests who (allegedly) climbed through a window and found the two bodies
inside, one alive and the other not, before calling in the police. From what
has been released so far, the death looks to be caused from a pre-existing
medical condition on the mother’s part.
The good news is the child is as fine
as one can be when in such a situation. Obviously she is suffering from severe
dehydration (since she wouldn’t have had a drink in up to five days) and high
blood-sugar levels from living off only chocolate eggs. I do wonder what
psychological issues could arise in the future from this trauma though.
In any case, the interesting – and sad
– point I took from all of this was that neighbourhoods are not what they used
to be, or what I thought they were.
Now I’d like to think I’m fairly
objective and I try to avoid assumptions at all costs, but I’m surprised by how
someone can be dead for five days with a child, not be seen at all, and no one
wonders about it. I remember another story a few years ago where an elderly
woman had been dead for weeks in her apartment and it was someone like the
landlord who found her after all that time. It’s terrible.
I live in the same neighbourhood I’ve
grown up with; I’ve never moved house. While most of my neighbours have come
and gone; we are a very close street. I know each person’s name of almost every
person on my street. I know where they work, how to contact them, what’s
happening this week for them, when their birthdays are – we all give each other
Christmas presents and birthday presents to each other when the time comes.
Most importantly, we look out for each other. My next door neighbours a few
years ago were out one time and two boys tried to rob them, but because my
mother could hear something and a neighbour across the road saw them, the whole
street came together to chase after the robbers once they decided to flee after
being caught. We look out for each other’s animals, and we help each other out
if an accident occurs or a car breaks down. It’s hard to believe that others do
not share the unique experience of living in a great place, but I am aware it
happens, far too occasionally.
What my point is here is that I think
society is becoming too solitary – with technology keeping us indoors and preoccupied,
even though it provides us the opportunity to connect with others all over the
place, including globally, it does not help us get outside, go next door and at
least find out if someone is living next to us. Is it a fear, or laziness, or a
narrow-minded sense of self that does this? I’m not sure, but I am taking the
gift I have been given of great neighbours and cherishing it for all it is
worth – at least I know if I am ever in trouble there are people around who
will not only notice, but lend out a helping hand.
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