WHEN COMPETITION BECOMES SABETAGE

Living in a major metropolitan area involves a fundamental trade-off. While big cities are universally recognized as centers of development, modernization, and vast opportunity, their dense populations create an intensely competitive environment. This is why many individuals choose smaller cities, seeking a more affordable, accessible lifestyle with less friction in securing jobs, housing, and financial stability.

​The core challenge in large cities is that high population density often translates to severe competition for limited, high-value resources. However, this dynamic often crosses the line from healthy competition to toxic behavior. Unfortunately, the pressure to succeed frequently escalates into acts of jealousy, opportunism, and outright sabotage.

​I have personally experienced this dark side across multiple aspects of private life, where "big city competition" is used to rationalize unethical behavior. This has included having opportunities stolen in career matters, facing interference in real estate transactions (buying and selling homes), and even encountering attempts to undermine personal relationships, travel plans, and overall lifestyle choices.

​This widespread pattern of undermining behavior raises a crucial question about its origin: is this a mere consequence of individual ethical failures, or is it a systemic issue? It remains unclear whether this culture of sabotage is an unfortunate side effect of a high-pressure system, or if it is somehow linked to political or strategic urban planning intended to show a city is "better managed" by concentrating and tightly controlling the levers of success.