Bruce, I think it’s the icky thing. Maybe I’m having a sort of delayed experiencing of emotional gaps that went unfilled due to lack of a balanced environment outside of home. It really does make a difference to have social backup. Most of us didn’t have that growing up in my generation, and it’s even worse for the 20-somethings and teens now. As independent a thinker as I may be, it’s impossible to pull feedback out of nowhere.

Zaire, I hear you well and share your sentiments. I don’t really know of a solution for society at large that won’t take a couple of decades to set in, but I will remind you that you are very fortunate to be the female on the end of this. Even I’m lucky, and I’m old.

We have a much better chance, being aware women, to find an aware man than aware men have of finding an aware woman. Men tend to be more independent thinkers overall. Even the crappily contexted statistics about boys and ADHD and the new “ODD” (oppositional defiant “disorder”) attest to that.

Despite their numbers being *relatively* low, proportionally, we’re swimming in a selection of the most mantastic males in the western world. Since you’re young, I’d recommend scanning some of the man positive sites for someone in your age range. I know they’re not a matchmaking service, but I think many of them would be thrilled to get some email from a girl with some damned sense.