Every week I have a DnD session with some friends of mine. These are all friends I've met online (and have never met in-person) and we play through Roll20. This constitutes pretty much all of my socialization for the week, and each session is very enjoyable, though maybe because of that fact it leaves me feeling really very depressed afterwards getting dumped back into my usual loneliness post-session. Moreover, I can't help but mentally dissect my behavior afterwards and always come to the conclusion that I'm a cynical sociopath that simply emulates the emotional intelligence that comes naturally to an ordinary person. The evidence of this is always that, somewhere in the couple of hours we spend together, my mask slips and I'll say something really heartless and/or inappropriate. I try to be very jocular with my friends here, but for example a friend will mention how much they love the adorable little Pikmin when she's playing the game and doesn't want them to die, I just instinctively fumble over my words to say something like "But they're supposed to be your disposable suicide units." and I realize that I've gotten too complacent and didn't think before speaking, so I just said something heartless towards a totally normal sentiment. I want to apologize, but I don't even know what I'd be apologizing for... just for ruining the mood I guess, but I feel that I'd be doing the age old mistake of "Apologizing for getting caught, not for committing the crime." ...
I'm getting older (I'm the oldest one in my friend group) at 34. Being reminded of that fact makes me sick, I suppose for inescapable mid-life crisis reasons... but getting older also seems to mean that my skin is getting thicker, and it's getting harder and harder to feel how I used to feel about a lot of things. I'm just getting more cynical, more debased, further and further away from the ideal of normality that promises the humble happiness that I'm perpetually denied...
I know the feels of wanting to help someone who doesn’t want help. (And also getting involved in someone else’s filth.) It sucks that they’re possibly dragging an innocent down with them. But you gotta remember Josh, you can’t destroy yourself to save them. At some point, you have to do what’s right by you. The best thing I think you can do is call child protective services. That’s the best help you can give that kid.
I've had your post here in a tab here in my browser open for a couple days here Nenjin. I've just been contemplating some more. For all my Sister's faults, my niece really does love her Mom an awful lot. Obviously I think that's the instinct of every child. I just don't want to inflict that kind of trauma to my niece, and I don't want to permanently estrange myself to the remainder of my shitty little family. Especially when I feel, deep down, that forgiving them for their faults is the last spiritual test I have to overcome before I'm allowed to be human.