An Elderly Man’s Neighbor Blocked His Driveway With Cinder Blocks, So He Taught Him An Expensive Lesson
Neighbors can spice up life at home or make it a living hell. Living with friendly neighbors can be exciting and disgusting in equal measure. Depending on what type of personalities your neighbor may have, staying close to amazing friends is exciting.
Some individuals opt to relocate away from stubborn neighbors to avoid trouble and enjoy peaceful moments in the worst scenarios. This is because you can hardly do anything about such neighbors. You can either decide to resolve your issues amicably or relocate to avoid unnecessary confrontation. Check out what a man from Florida went through in the hands of a neighbor from hell.
Perceived Peaceful Neighborhood
When a man relocated from an unknown location to settle in Osceola, Florida, the neighbors never cared about what could unfold after that. It never took long before reality dawned on them that the new person in the neighborhood is such a menace. In this case, Oliver Lynch, an old retiree, had to contend with the new reality of staying near a stubborn neighbor.
Before Lynch and his neighbors could learn about their new neighbor, they were hard hit by the neighbor’s actions that caused an uproar in the community. No sooner had Lynch and other neighbors took their time to learn about the new neighbor than his actions started rattling people around. Lynch and other community members had no option but to stare at the events that followed in disbelief.
Oliver Wouldn’t Be Manipulated
The 79 years old Florida resident had stayed in Osceola for over 25 years. In this regard, the old man used to enjoy a cordial relationship with other neighbors. Though Oliver had a calm temper and would hardly argue with anyone, he wasn’t easily whipped around.
Though calm temperament is a great personal attribute, being provoked beyond limit may turn around the perception. After the push and shove between the neighbor, friends, and community members, Oliver resorted to action that you won’t believe he could have taken based on his calm temperament.
He’s a Fighter
Though most people believe calm tempered individuals don’t indulge in confrontation, get provoked beyond limit may force them to take certain actions that may not be exciting. Having lived in the neighborhood for a couple of years, Oliver knew he had to fight back to have his way.
Lynch, therefore, believed the elderly were not accorded as much respect as they would expect from the neighbors. To stamp his authority as an elderly, he had to take action to ensure other neighbors learn a lesson. During an interview, Lynch stated that ‘’I hate being bullied’’. He doesn’t just hate being bullied by he takes action against such experiences.
The New Neighbor Menace
During the interview, Lynch stated, ’I have less energy left in me for fighting, I hate people who try to whip me around. ’These are statements from an aging man who won’t like to get provoked. Though such situations are unavoidable, Oliver would always avoid confrontation and create peace with his neighbors.
Everyone would enjoy coexisting peacefully with neighbors, but certain extreme circumstances would force one to get annoyed. Surprisingly, Lynch woke up one day to the reality that the new neighbor was putting up a new home in an empty piece of land.
When All Hell Broke Loose
One day, Lynch was surprised to come back home to find cinder blocks placed on his driveway. Though Lynch took this for granted, hell broke loose when his neighbor claimed that the driveway was an empty piece of land he could use to do what he wanted.
This sparked emotions and Lynch could hear none of such claims but rather craft ways of having his driveway back.
The Situation Out Of Hand
Before Lynch could question and settle the neighbor’s claims, the situation went out of hand since the neighbor opted to go ahead and cement cinder blocks on the driveway. It was geared towards ensuring Lynch fails to remove them even if he wanted to.
It became impossible for Lynch to remove the cinder blocks out of the driveway. With no other alternative of resolving the mess that had already been caused by the new neighbor, Lynch opted to face the neighbor so that they could squire it out accordingly.
The Strange Turn of Events
Lynch had lived in the community for over 25 years and never came across such a stubborn neighbor. He was forced to come to terms with the new revelation of tolerating a difficult neighbor that had just joined them.
This reality gave Lynch sleepless nights as he slept imagining how he would face the situation. Being such a calm tempered person, he wondered why the situation took such a sour twist. He remained determined to ensure he reclaims the driveway that had been infringed by the new neighbor.
Digging For Proof
The strange turn of events sent Lynch back to the drawing board. With cinder blocks already cemented on the runaway, Lynch had little to do to resolve the disagreement.
He had to resort to a fact-finding mission to ascertain whether the land being encroached by the neighbor was his. Later he discovered that he was the rightful owner of the driveway.
Questionable Character
Lynch was surprised about his neighbor’s actions. He wondered why a staunch Christian would exhibit such a strange attitude. Lynch believed that a serious Christian would be hypocritical but mind his actions.
This is opposed to the type of character he saw from the neighbor, which disregards Christian values. In his mind, Lynch thought someone working for the church would be more friendly and mindful of others.
Situation Getting Out of Hand
With the situating getting out of hand, Lynch became worried about the next course of action. To try salving the situation, Lynch opted to seek help from the county office. The bottom line, he knew it isn’t going to be an easy battle.
Under this pretext, giving up was not an option but to fight to the end. Stopping the neighbor from creeping into his driveway remained Lynch’s worst nightmare that he had to contend with.
Involved the Media
Desperate for a solution, Lynch continued pulling different strings. He later opted to involve the media to bring to attention the events surrounding the simmering impasse between him and his new neighbor.
Fortunately, the media agreed to air the story surrounding his driveway’s alleged encroachment by the new neighbor. Unfortunately, the media’s attempts to reach out to the neighbor for more information about the tussle turned futile.
The Media Broke the Story
After the media broke the news to the public, neighbors got surprised about the turn of events. They hardly expected to see such type of behavior from a person perceived to be a staunch Christian. It portrayed Lynch’s neighbor in a bad light, contrary to the thought that serious Christians care about others. His bad attitude came to the limelight throwing the community into the discussion on whether he deserves the respect he’s given by society based on his perceived dedication to serve in the higher ranks of the church.
Though Lynch’s neighbor appeared to be combative in handling the misunderstanding, the revelation threw his character into question, leaving the society wondering why some Christians can be hypocritical. Strange as it could have sounded, Lynch’s goal of fighting back through the media unearthed to the community the kind of neighbor they have.
Strange Attitude
The entire community wondered why the new neighbor could hardly settle issues with the neighbor amicably to avoid unnecessary confrontation. Ideally, a friendly coexistence and amicable resolution of disputes have been a top priority in the community. The turn of events cast a dark shadow on the prevailing peaceful coexistence that the community had enjoyed for an extended period. The bad attitude showcased by the new neighbor was a wake-up call for other neighbors to understand how they will handle this new person in the area.
Most neighbors complained about why the hardly known neighbor could start causing trouble a few days after coming to stay in the community. His actions raised questions about his real character despite being perceived as a staunch Christian. Such behavior was unheard of, and the disruptive nature of his character surprised many in the neighborhood.
Plea Ignored
Though Lynch staged a spirited fight against his neighbor, including getting backing from other community members, his plea was never respected. He kept on wondering why his complaints are never acted upon despite raising concerns now and then. This experience made him feel ignored in all his efforts to ensure other people respect their neighbor’s properties.
Though the first effort put pressure on the neighbor through shaming in the media, it never stopped injustice. Tired of fighting through other means which never yielded fruits, Lynch felt the impact achieved through using the media was better than through arbitration. He later went ahead to call the local media to air the concerns he thought were not being acted upon. He later contacted the WFTV to highlight his plight.
Milestone Achieved
After back and forth trying to find an amicable solution, Lynch made a milestone by getting an opportunity to meet his neighbor to iron out the issues he had raised. The determination to stop the neighbor from blocking his driveway remained Lynch’s top priority throughout the entire process. Though he ended up getting to his neighbor to discuss his grievances, he knew the fight wouldn’t be easy from the beginning. Regular media indulgence seems to have rattled the neighbor allowing room for talks to resolve the impasse.
All this time, the neighbors have never got an opportunity to listen to the neighbor who has been portrayed in a bad light. As usual, the neighbors kept on getting a one-sided complaint, but this time around, they had to get the neighbors side of the story after he agreed to a meeting to discuss what could be contributing to confrontation.
Almost resolved
Lynch quickly grabbed the opportunity to substantiate to the neighbor that the piece of land under which the driveway seats belongs to him. He pieced together all the facts and evidence within his disposal and justified to his neighbor why he needs to stop encroaching. The strategy was perfect, and everything appeared, leading to a final resolution. At least for now, the neighbor accepted the facts presented to him. What else could the neighbor have done?
Of course, he had to tone down and get rid of the cinder blocks he had placed on the driveway. He realized that the driveway is Lynch’s property. He did accept and agreed to remove the cinder and blocks that he had already put on the driveway. Lynch’s determination and zeal bored fruits. It shows that determination is the key to achieving whichever we want in life. Why were the neighbors not fully supportive in reaching out to the neighbor before issues escalated beyond proportions?
Unsuportive Neighbors
Though Lynch complained to them now and then, they never took him seriously nor made an effort to support him launch a complaint. He had to think about various options to find a solution. Regardless of his age, he still won the battle. Having such neighbors can make one’s life a living hell.
Good neighbors are supposed to be supportive and ready to intervene to resolve pertinent issues in society. This support is critical in ensuring peaceful coexistence and a friendly community full of love and care.
Remorseful
The new neighbor later admitted that he regretted his actions and never acted that way out of ignorance. After explaining why he behaved that way, Lynch noted that the neighbor acknowledged that he was wrong and that the confrontation was unnecessary.
Lynch cited that the neighbor complained that the row compromised his community integrity and understood why the misunderstanding had to escalate to that level. Interestingly, the neighbor brushed out the entire back and forth confrontation as mere understanding though admitting that it had lowered his dignity. The hope is that the neighbor won’t become stubborn again to warrant further unnecessary conflict.
Reconciliation
Depending on the magnitude of fall out between neighbors, the resulting factor breeds hatred that may be difficult to settle. Neighbors had to bring the two together to help them reconcile to learn how to cope with each other.
The concern is ensuring the two neighbors reconcile and learn to coexist peacefully. In this case, the community’s role was to reconcile them so that they can put their differences aside.
Peaceful Coexistence
It is paramount for the two neighbors to put their differences aside and become friends. Living together for the longest time may not be easy if the two aren’t able to establish a good relationship. Happy neighbors are easy to get along with each other, making it easier to collaborate on various community issues.
Therefore, it is wrong for the two neighbors to stay close together without having a proper relationship. Ideally, in a typical community set up, we need each other in one way or another. It would be strange for two members of the community to stay together without communicating or interacting happily.
A Community That Cooperates
Lynch’s story indicates that, at times, support from the community, proper communication, and collaboration are essential to resolve issues that may crop up. If not handled properly, such problems are likely to escalate, create tension, and even in extreme circumstances, individuals end up harming each other.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a community that cooperates to help others resolve issues amicably to avoid uncertainties associated with hatred. The need for peaceful coexistence cannot be underscored in promoting a cohesive society.
Moral Lesson
Though we may not understand Lynch and the neighbor’s current relationship, the moral lesson learned from this story is that we should learn to approach situations soberly without causing trouble.
Most people lose their lives while others end up in jail due to acting out of anger. You end up harming a neighbor for petty issues that could have been resolved amicably.
Forgiveness
The virtue of forgiveness is critical in reconciliation. How Lynch acted afterward is essential to ensure the issue is fully resolved to avoid grudges and protracted blame game that may re-emerge and cause more trouble. Lynch never became boastful after fixing the problem but instead focused on forgiveness and reconciliation.
Boasting and making noise about how successful you have been in such a situation may breed hatred that can quickly reoccur and escalate beyond reasonable proportions. Being calm in resolving complex issues is critical in avoiding confrontation that may escalate and result in a fight that may harm either party.