If our wishes to avoid trouble in life would give us a pattern of behaviour, then it would be best to live alone in isolation, otherwise, our immediate neighbour might be the biggest trouble to avoid.
The idea is not to avoid people because we must meet at the market, the Church, or on the bus. But sometimes against our choice, we are stuck with one neighbour or another. In African communal living, we live in rented apartments.
To avoid negative interaction in living with the third party, we need to remove items whose abuse would have a high potential to cause friction between us and our neighbour, items like matchboxes, kerosene etc.
Items that could be picked and used in a flash, like plates or pots to be used but not to be washed should be well restrained. Or items that carelessness could break. Small items like spoons being borrowed and could be left in private rooms and locked should not be exposed. We could learn to avoid leaving consumables like water in buckets that their unauthorized usage would anger us if not replaced. Check that soap is not left exposed. Check that your cooking gas is not turned into a public utility.
Problem areas are those jointly used or shared facilities;
Kitchen: Wet floor, Dirty sink, Waste matter disposal…
Toilet: No cleaning attitude, continuous wet floor…
The misgivings in these areas are best duplicated without complaints. If your neighbour always wets the floor, wet it more deliberately until he notices it and complains. Then you smoothen it out in a discussion. If he always tunes his radio high, tune yours higher until he gets the message or complains. On your part, form a habit of informing an owner before using their property.
If your neighbour always wets the floor, wet it more deliberately until he notices it and complains. Then you smoothen it out in a discussion. If he always tunes his radio high, tune yours higher until he gets the message or complains. On your part, form a habit of informing an owner before using their property.
Now that the aforementioned had been identified as sources of trouble, how best can we cope with the indices of the trouble caused or posed by the people who we are glad are giving us good company but their lack of consideration for others, due to their way of life, is becoming the problem as to why we dread to go home.