We squareheads enjoy saying: "The way you yell at the mountains is the way they answer back."

At the same time, thieves, violent drunks, and other malefactors force accommodations to their behaviors, and deprive our lives of predictability, unless one lives in denial or naivete, as M-G says.

My opinion: Anyone in proper biochemical balance should be able to be happy in good circumstances, such as being surrounded by decent folk. Consider this exercise: Try to get there (to that contentment) while wading through deep shit. Enjoy it AS exercise. Then you've developed a useful skill, not relying on faith in externalities.