I have the privilege of living in a small town and I like that. Some people prefer to live in big cities. In fact, millions of people prefer to do so. Living in a big city has its benefits; you have more opportunity for everything: a great cultural life to participate in, restaurants to go to, stores to shop, and more people to watch and communicate with. Also, big cities are the best places to find that perfect job and get a lot of money if one chooses to do so.

Though those are certainly great benefits, attached to them is the stress of living in an aggressive place. One needs to look no farther than your surroundings to see what I mean.

For example, I went to San Francisco the other day and while having a snack in a café, I noticed that there was a bus stop right in front of the window where I was seated. Being an admirer of people, I decided to pay attention to those coming and going.

Within 5 minutes, I saw a young man passing by with a t-shirt that said "Masturbation is not a crime;” another man waiting for the bus holding a brown paper bag and drinking from it; a woman getting out of a bus, with a baby in her arms and picking up a folded stroller from the bus and opening it up to put the baby in, with an absolute lack of help from another person; a couple dressed in "gothic,” and a thin dog, walking alongside a homeless man pushing a shopping cart with his few belongings in it.

Now, if this isn't a depressing view, I don't know what is. And that got me thinking about the natural aggression that comes with living in such places. The problem is, however, that few people realize how this aggression is changing them, from caring human beings to cold-hearted, desensitized people. This change is obviously not conscious; it is rare the person who is truly indifferent to his surroundings.

This desensitization is comparable with those med

ical people working in hospitals, who, for example, see so much pain and suffering that, if they didn't put a barrier to their feelings, they would probably go insane. It is true that we walk around a big city and see tons of small acts of aggression, perhaps not geared to others but to oneself.

It is necessary, then, for us to become aware of the aggression that we suffer by living in such places and learn to cope with it, so that we may bring our souls to remember that we are divine beings and thus deserving of having peace of mind, physical safety, and emotional balance.

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