Hey, my dude. I've just read your posts here, and wanted to say that I feel you.
It's tough, craving human touch when you have no skin. I've no good advice, other than to say that loneliness is a harsh mistress, but she mellows out with age.
You know, I find that 'cringe' is what teens and twenty-somethings do. From the thirties onward it's all just 'human condition'.
As for elder siblings being of any help in the romance area, my hot sister has so far failed to introduce me to even a single eligible friend of hers, for which I remain a bit resentful. ;)
How does one go up to a stranger at a bar? How to even tell which stranger to engage in conversation?
One of my problems is that I mostly need to interact with someone before I feel any sort of connection to them.
But if I start to interact with someone, and I lose interest, this could hurt them. I'd like to avoid doing that.
I've become privy to the romantic history of others over my lifetime. For what it's worth, most people are actually quite lonely. It is the reason they put up with horrible relationships: Because its better than being alone.
Must romance always follow a fairy book story structure?
Must men always be predatory in dating?
Is it possible to date in a way that strengthens all parties involved, even if no relationship is born?
To this last question, I suspect that for a person to show interest in another person, this can in fact strengthen the person being complemented.
To some degree, success comes from confidence. When a person feels they have value, they can accomplish more.
Maybe its best to remain the skirmisher. The person that I appear to be is much different than the person that I actually am.
Far better to encourage than concern.
How can I interact with real people when I have problems interacting with the real world?
When I was younger, I had thought I was perhaps something different than human. A machine, a spirit, an alien, something else.
Age has eliminated those doubts. I am in fact quite human. I'm just slightly less than human, in most respects.
EDIT: Feeling better.
The way that I've been approaching most of this is just wrong.
What I should be doing is trying to get to know people better.
Hi, EuchreJack expert here. This isn't cute or heartwarming. EuchreJack only makes these posts when they are VERY DISTRESSED.Good point. Maybe I should consider editing or dividing between the heartwarming stories and my personal venting.
For what it's worth, most people are actually quite lonely.