Does America need a mayberry resurgence?

As the societal divide in America rages on, it got me thinking: what if we all just went back to mayberry? Now this is by no means me suggesting we all revert back to the laws & lifestyle of the 60’s but I do think there is much we can learn from the classic series.

For starters, small-town America seems to be becoming a thing of the past. Most college graduates seem content to not just move to the big city but stay there in lieu of ever settling down in the suburbs. But while they’re trying to appease their overbearing bosses & make it in the asphalt jungle, I can think of no better existence than gathering on the veranda, singing a tune or two & just enjoying the fresh night air. The more people begin to neglect the small town feel in favor of getting bumped into every five seconds on the busy streets of NYC, the quicker the backbone of this great nation begins to disappear.

Then there’s the policing element to consider. So much of the gun violence in this nation can be attributed to the fact that the cops have no idea exactly who they are attempting to protect & serve in their neighborhoods. They see everyone as a potential perp in lieu of who they actually: their friends, neighbors, teachers, barbers, grocers, etc. That’s exactly why this kind of stuff never happens in mayberry, because he knows them all & has earned the authority & respect that comes with the sheriff’s badge. In fact, if memory serves, the only time a shot is ever fired by the authorities in that series is when barney accidentally sets it off as a running gag (& also one time when andy used it to end a feud). But the point is they only ever used violence & firearms as a last resort. They mostly relied on their wits & charm to talk people down from whatever stupid thing they were planning on doing. By establishing respect & trust within the community, they became not so much cops so much as peacekeeping friends you see when you walk down the street each day.

& finally, you have this sense of camaraderie & neighborliness that seems so lacking nowadays. If you were lucky enough to get locked up in mayberry, you would get the best fried chicken you ever had made by hand by their own aunt bee. You know why? Because they weren’t just a community; they were like family. This is a place where people would not hesitate for a second to help out a neighbor in need or even the residents who were currently incarcerated. They didn’t see them as criminals who deserved to toil away in prison for the rest of their days; they saw them as flawed human who made one bad mistake, people in need of a helping hand to get them back on the straight & narrow. That’s what we could all use more of nowadays; people willing to help others simply because it’s the right thing to do. As the series demonstrated time & time again, you can never go wrong following your heart (unless you’re barney).

So next time you’re walking down the street & you see your neighbors, even if they’re not in distress, feel free to say hello or even just wave. It may not seem like it but just one act of kindness can reverberate around the globe & in the end, that just may make all the difference in the world.