How funny that two things so different from one another, can be brought together conceptually, in order to explain some aspect of one of those things. How funny it is that only upon viewing or conceiving of some property that an object has, that another property, of an all together different item, is suddenly illuminated by a light never noticed before.


      The condition of the sidewalks which connect people’s homes is analogous to the condition of the relationships that connect these people (socially).

      The analogy is actually kind of simple. The home is an object that we value and rely upon for shelter, comfort, warmth, for a place to sleep at night, for a place to have a family, and for a place to just be. The home, where we live, is perhaps one of the most important items in our lives today. And so when a person observes the condition of homes that people live in, they will often see all sorts of signs demonstrating the general value of the “home”. For example, people will spend their free time cleaning not only the inside of their dwellings, but the outside as well as the immediate surrounding area. Some people will plant flora around their homes as well as inside their homes. Indeed, some people spend all of their money on their homes as well as all of their free time fixing it and improving upon it. The point being that the home is a point of pride and worth for the majority of people in this world. Where a person lives, and what they live in, is not simply where they live or what they live in, but is a representation of that person and of who they are. The home can reflect a great deal about the individual and as such, the home can be considered an extension of the individual.

      Now, that being said, what can be noticed about the in-between space? That is, what qualities are noticed regarding the areas of space between homes? And here is where the Sidewalk Analogy first starts to form. When the in-between areas are looked at, such as sidewalks, streets, walls and fences, or anything else that falls out of the jurisdiction of someone’s home, when the areas of space that are between people’s homes are studied, the same quality of upkeep noticed of the homes is simply missing. The love and pride of how the home is kept is missing in these in-between areas. Simply put, the areas in-between people’s dwellings are not as well taken care of as the dwellings.

      So here is the analogy: While people may be focused on their individual selves, which in this case is represented by the “home”, they are not as focused on the relationships which connect these selves, which in this case is represented by the “sidewalk”, or any “in-between” area. The point being made is that without the areas between dwellings, there is no connection between these dwellings; and like wise, without a way of connecting individuals no relationship can exist between them. Now this isn’t to say that social relationships are non-existent between people, but certainly there is a lack of strength within them. And so while people may have perfect looking outsides (homes), the social relationships that connect these people (sidewalks) tend to be less perfect, both in outward appearance and functionality. It is for this reason that the following statement can be made: The condition of the sidewalks which connect people’s homes is analogous to the condition of the relationships that connect these people.

      This idea happened while noticing that while our homes may be very nice (pretty, fancy, expensive, over-the-top even), the space between them is not. There are cracks in the sidewalks and the streets. People leave trash lying around, or they don’t clean up after their animals. Either way, it seemed strange that we spend so much effort on our homes, and so little effort on the overwhelming amount of space between them. And in the same way, it seemed strange that we spend so much effort on ourselves, and so little effort on the overwhelming amount of potential that lies between ourselves’ (which could be thought of as the area of social interconnectedness); Hence the Sidewalk Analogy.

a. Dempsey 2007