"When Decency Becomes a Luxury, Our Community Was the First to 'Lose Control' Amid Economic Downturn"

Once upon a time, our community was a place many people envied.

Three staircases and six households, with a property fee of 2.8 yuan. The villas and high-rise buildings are arranged in a pleasing manner, making the entire community spacious and bright.

There were three reasons that made me choose this place without hesitation:
1. The environment of the park is indeed beautiful, the greenery inside the community is good, and you can see the river from the back of the community.
2. The unique sense of security brought by the surrounding troops, being able to see them training or practicing driving every day upon waking up.
3. More importantly, the residents here are all high-quality individuals, and there is even a celebrity neighbor.

In the past two years, everyone got along very well. A property fee of 2.8 yuan? Worth it. Neighbors always greeted each other with smiles, and that harmonious atmosphere really made people feel comfortable.

But I don't know when it all started to change.

The chill of the economy quietly seeps into our community. Housing prices are falling, incomes are shrinking, and the previous sense of ease is nowhere to be found. Instead, what replaces it is an increasingly heavy feeling of resentment. Owners of villas and residents of high-rises now gather together with only one topic: "Property fees must be reduced."

The contradiction continued to escalate, from arguments to shoving, until one day, things completely got out of control. The armed police's vehicle appeared at the entrance of the community, a scene that I still remember vividly. And yesterday, a kilometer away, the same plot unfolded in the neighboring community.

Looking at all of this, I suddenly understand why, although I am not very materialistic, I still want to make money, to earn more money. Because money is really important.

When we are affluent, we are tolerant, understanding, and considerate of dignity; under pressure, dignity becomes the first thing to be abandoned. When the heavy burden of life strikes, we all become the kind of people we once did not understand.