Wow, this really put you in a philosophical mood <g>. Thanks for the interesting thoughts.

I have been chasing this woman too long already. That is at an end now. It just isn't healthy for me. She can be the nicest person in the world -- among other things, she got in interested in doing volunteer work -- but when something sets her off, watch out. There are also things in her past, which I won't go into, that make her hesitant to commit. Ah, well. I know we really did love each other. Just not enough, I guess.

>>I agree with you about online friends vs. "real friends", but only up to a point. I think there are real friendships in cyberspace.
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>Hmm, I wouldn't call any on-line relationship more than a "warm acquaintance" unless (and until) you've also met that person F2F.
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>>She is gorgeous, among other things, and can have any man she desires.
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>"can have any man she desires": that is both a cliche and untrue - there are no such women. As John's grandfather might have (very bluntly) said - "Show me a gorgeous single woman, and I'll show you a man who's tired of f***ing her". Harsh, sure but it has the grain of truth that proves the point.
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>>Better to have loved and lost, right? Yeah, right.
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>IME it is better to have loved and lost. I believe true love actually alters your brain and mind so you become a somewhat different person. Maybe it's through an oxytocin cascade, a neural storm like those religious experiences induced by strong magnetic fields, or something else. Perhaps more accurately, I believe that after you've been in love you're different. Hopefully, if the relationship was a good/positive one, you'll be a better person.
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>I also believe there is a strong element of selflessness in true love. You really do want what is best for the one(s) you love. If she's a good person and worthy of your selfless love, then almost no matter what she does she'll always have "a little piece of you" and you'll still, fundamentally, wish her the best. If that's not the case, I'd argue that you weren't really in love.
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>Maybe you really are/were in love, and your current pain makes you say "yeah, right". If so, the rawness will fade with time and you'll still be mostly in love with her, or in love with most of her < g >.
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>If you weren't really in love, put on the Northern Pikes' "She Ain't Pretty, She Just Looks That Way" and crank it < g >