My hometown San Antonio is a fantastic entertainment town. San Antonio has many great things to do, Six Flags annual membership for ~$60, Sea World annual membership about the same, tubing down TX rivers, Art walks, Beer runs, tons of runs and events for charity, NBA, Hockey, Arena Football, College Football, Schlitterbahn right up the road; and I don’t participate in any of them. That’s how I know this city is no good for me. I am not a part of the community, and I have no desire to go out and become a part of the community. I feel that the city rejects me just as much as I reject it. I spent many summers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In the months of June through August there are tons of summer events though few of them were on the scale of the events in San Antonio. Yet I was constantly out, participating in events, actively engaged in the community. I would never want to live in Cedar Rapids as it’s too small town for my liking and with the exception of the events in summer, there is little to do in Cedar Rapids, IA. But it opened my eyes to how different cities have different cultures and personalities. So few people realize this because so few travel beyond their invisible borders. Just like we avoid toxic people, cities also can suck the life out of you. And all you can do is up and move.

Not everyone is the same, despite our biological similarities. Some people will suffocate in a city like Cedar Rapids, talented people leave in droves which leads to a symptom called Brain Drain where young educated professionals with special skill sets up and leave for greener pastures. Others thrive in the same environment. How is your city affecting you? Do you stay in all day, reluctant to go out? Are you smothered? Do you reject the city’s culture? It is almost taboo to up and leave for another city, not to mention terrifying. Friends and family should encourage you exploring the world as it’s hard enough to commit to the decision, yet you get criticism, warnings, and from people who never had the courage to take that step for themselves. Obviously I don’t advocate recklessness; selling all your possessions then hitchhiking across the U.S., but it works for some people. RooshV sold his possessions, saved money, and travelled the world. He’s still travelling and has a huge following and celebrity status in several countries. It couldn’t have worked out better for him. Yet I imagine his initial fear must have been paralyzing.