There are already enough walls in the world separating people from one another. We don’t need any more used as part of a marketing campaign to sell high-end real estate in southern Maine.

The developer of a proposed gated, golf-course community in Wells touched a nerve with his remarks to the Associated Press.

“People who can afford it prefer a gated community,” said Jeff Harris, the president of Harris Golf in Bath, who wants to build 131 $600,000 to $1 million homes around a new golf course. “They just don’t have the problems. Their kids can play in the cul-de-sac and they don’t have to worry.”

Just why is that?

Because the riffraff can’t get in? Because all the neighbors are wealthy? Because insulated communities don’t have to deal with the difficulties of the larger community?

People should be able to live how and where they would like, even behind layers of walls and guards. But Maine’s no hotbed of crime, gated community or not. According to FBI crime statistics for 2003, Maine is a safe place to live with little violent crime.

Different socioeconomic classes are already too insulated from one another.

If a person wants to live on a golf course and can afford to spend $1 million, that’s great. But Harris’ arrogant pitch promises more than can be delivered. You can’t shut the world out and divorce yourself from its problems. In fact, the opposite is true. The more we try to separate ourselves, the less we understand about our communities and our neighbors. That’s something to really worry about.