Man

I feel a constriction, at those moments when I contemplate accepting the group’s indulgence. I feel myself as being too large for the cage I would uncomfortably step into; the bars, smooth and comforming, press against my living flesh, digging into me with the fear that I would be the least of them. I would no longer be myself. At such times, I know that I can never seriously entertain the notion of group acceptance. The group does not care. Any comfort I feel is not much more than familiarity.

Loneliness is a terrible thing and there are so few who are prepared for friendship. For better or for worse, it seems the way of many to value their fears above that of honesty. These fears are the forerunner to fraternity – the gathering of others as protection against isolation, as protection against self-targeted admissions from an outside nuisance.