In Oakland, CA, just across HWY 880 from this pocket of color and charm, on East 12th Street, you can find the best example of life gone bad. Trash piled up everywhere you look, broken down cars, the smell of human excrement, and homeless people stumbling around in their own private hell.
It's frightening to realize we are all just steps away from this abysmal environment; this dark and depressing life, metaphorically speaking (and literally in this particular example). The loss of a loved one, an unspeakable failure, an embarrassment revealed - these things and more can trigger such a death spiral... if we let it.
Instead of being repulsed by the sights, sounds and smells of the slum across the street, let it serve to remind you of the beauty in yourself, and in other people, places and things, wherever you happen to be. Develop your treasure chest of tools and resources to prevent any slide on this slippery slope.
Let the slum across the street encourage you to live the kind of life that would never lead you there.