On the subject of women/love, what I've found is that you never know the outs and ins, regardless of your age, and regardless of the relationships you've been in. The human ideal of "Love" represents something totally unattainable, unless there's artificial forces acting upon - i.e., Shakespeare gets to control Romeo and Juliet, which is why the emotion is so raw and real there, but nothing will ever come close to that in real life.
Whenever I hear someone tell me they are in love and that I don't know what true love is, I just shrug them off. Because I've heard that phrase thrown around so much these days, that it almost carries no meaning whatsoever. Just like people who can completely divorce emotional depth from sex and keep it totally a physical need, love has become raped of what it once was. There's a lot of factors and things to consider regarding this, but I don't have the time or patience to go into them.
What I know is that I thought I was in love at one point in time, I was told I was correct, and I was told it was completely reciprocated, and it ended up being a total lie. And there's nothing I get to do about it at this point but move on, and realize that all those reactions that ran 'round my mind were combinations of ignorance, hope, and blindness.
I aint jaded, but I damn well am more knowledgeable in those arts and in those ways, and I can safely say that almost no one knows what love is until they've reached a plateau where they are totally comfortable with whomever they are with. And generally, generally, those who think they are in that situation are mistaken far more often than not.
Point? Don't be haughty to others and call them jaded/ignorant and tell them "well if you only knew," since I could go to church and hear the exact same things. If I've got issue with what you say and I say it, don't turn back around and say I'm totally off base just because you can.
Personally, in the back of my head, I want humans as a collective and as a collective individual to be happy in whatever means and ways it takes. So what that requires I could care less about. But don't turn around and tell me I'm suddenly wrong because you're different or in a different situation. That aint cool.
Also, for the record, I wouldn't condescend to Brak. The only person who gets to do that is me, and he and I have a mutual understanding about that, and it goes both ways. He and I went through the same basic shit at the same time, and we've run all the roads we've needed on that issue.
Also, dcfox, this is relevant to your interests:
Strell's gf> You sure do say you love dcfox a lot. Is this something I should be worried about?
Strell> Maybe, considering he's a guy.
Part of me wants to think that did not totally quell her fear.
Oh, and smalien - that song is "Mad World," originally by Tears for Fears, but remixed by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews for Donnie Darko.