Look at Darfur, Gaza, Rwanda, Cambodia, Zimbabwe or that hardy perennial, Northern Ireland, and you can see in crystal clarity (or as our generation will think of it - high definition) that different races and cultures just do not seem to be able to get along without violence, bloodshed and fear being part of the mix.
It is human nature isn't it? We like the familiar. Difference and change are to be feared and, if possible, avoided.
Of course, we like to think that things are a little different in good old New Zealand. That we all live in harmony and friendship in the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa.
But even here we see instances of mindless violence and antagonism towards people of different cultural or religious backgrounds. Every bad driver in Auckland is Asian. If you don't get the spelling of your home town changed, you throw rocks through the mayor's window.
Even as far south as Invercargill people are refusing to serve customers in cafes because of something that is happening 10,000 miles away.
We have enough "neighbours at war" to create a television series!
"Crikey" - as the late great Steve Irwin used to say - could it be that we should all live in countries, communities and neighbourhoods where we all look and think the same?
I was pondering just this question (no, I really was) when my new neighbours moved in this summer. Four of them, a mum and dad and two kids.
I sat and watched them unload their furniture. There were things I recognised, beds and things, but there were other things I had never seen before. Their clothes were weird too, colours and patterns you don't see down south. And the food, the strangest cooking smells wafted over the fence. They ate late too, later than we did, that is for sure, after five most nights.
The new neighbours - I'd never seen anything like it. Yep, I thought, those Aucklanders sure are a strange bunch. There goes our nice Dunedin neighbourhood, I thought. Who knows what strange goings on will occur now we have Aucklanders among us.
But then, I started to consider the other neighbours in our street. Mr Harrison with his perpetual battle over fence-lines and tree heights with the James' - Aotea St's very own little Gaza Strip.
Or Mrs McGookin, a passionate first generation New Zealander of the Catholic persuasion, hailing from the Falls Rd part of Belfast. Well, let's just say we were thankful there was not someone from the Shankhill Rd side of the divide living on our street.
I don't in any way mean to trivialise these terrible conflicts and tales of human tragedy by comparing them to my neighbours in Dunedin.
It is just that you can see little parts of them being played out every day all around us - in our playgrounds, our classrooms and in our very own neighbourhoods.
Does Obama's election in the United States mean that the old distrust and centuries of enmity there are at an end?
No it does not.
Does John Key's policy of inclusion for Maori in his National Government mean that the bitterness and oppression of the past is forgotten and forgiven?
No it does not.
Does the Australian Government under Kevin Rudd issuing their first official apology to the Aboriginal people mean the stolen generations have got back what they lost?
No it does not.
But it does signal that a new era is upon us, where tolerance and inclusion might just take the place of conflict and confrontation.
It is too early to say whether Barack Obama, or even John Key, can deliver a more peaceful and united place for us all to live together, and you never know, the Australian Kevin Rudd might even help out.
But at least they are showing that there is another way to achieve a good society, a good country and even a good neighbourhood.
By taking a step back, by listening, understanding and appreciating the differences that exist between us, we might just be able to agree that good neighbours can really come from all different races and cultures.
Our leaders appear to be moving in the right direction, so how can we do the same?Dad threw a pot-luck dinner a few days after those Aucklanders moved in, you know, one of those things that Southlanders do to welcome new people to town or a neighbourhood.
There was no way out of it either, even though I didn't want to be there. I wanted to withdraw in and away (spend the day on Facebook where you do not ever have to talk to anyone face to face, despite what its brand name suggests).
But I had to be there, listening to strangers trying to communicate with each other, every sentence layered with politeness and just a little forced.
You know the kind of thing "So what do you do? How are you liking the Dunedin weather? Your roses are just beautiful this year, how do you do it?"
Like many of the things my father does, I wondered why he bothered. We had hardly been close with the last lot of neighbours. Why make an effort with these ones?"
Because its the right thing to do," my father said.
"When you meet others you should be friendly, not shy away and spend the day on head-book!"
"Yeah, yeah, Dad. Whatever," I said.
A couple of days later we got a thank-you note.
One simple act of kindness is all it takes. My Dad going out of his way to invite this new family to our house was all it took.
I learnt that day that each of us has to make an effort. Change will not come if we do not act. If we stop talking past each other. If we do not stop just hearing and start actually listening.
Because, as Henry David Thoreau once said, "Things do not change, we change."
Each of us has the ability to take the first step. Obama has done it, Key, Rudd. In order for it to have an effect, we all need to do it. Change will not come until we are all on board, having pot-lucks.
I think we are witnessing a sea change, our society is changing course. Let us hoist the sails and see where it takes us.
See the amazing, wonderful world that we all could live in if we all do a little something for someone, if we are caring and compassionate, engaging and accepting of others.
No matter what race you are or what culture you belong to, you have the ability to be a good neighbour. It is a choice. Make the right one.
After all, if you are not friends with your neighbours, when you go away on holiday, who is going to feed the cat?
