I sometimes draw a chart with the choices along the top - often I have more than two choices - and write the pros of each near the top of the columns and the cons near the bottoms of the column and then I look and decide what is the relative weight of the various options.
About one's own space it's very important to ensure one has good living space, a nice home. That helps one have that wonderful peaceful forest you wrote about. Then when one goes to meet people one brings the peace with one. Some people aren't interested, so one doesn't spend a lot of time or energy on them.
It's all very mysterious what is destined to happen in this world and the part we can play in its evolution. We can change our little corner of it and how big that little corner is depends on our energy levels and gifts of all kinds. It's a gift in itself to be sensitive to the problems of this world and to have aspirations in different issues.