u/Wonderful-Steak-8439

I have reached a point where I’ve completely forgotten what it’s like to approach a stranger and feel fear. About six months ago, I started meeting new people online quite often. Around that same time, I kept coming across YouTube videos of pranksters approaching strangers on the street. I started thinking about how many failed takes they must have to go through to capture that one perfect moment, since people don't always react the way you want them to. That’s when it hit me: strangers are a bit like Tinder in real life — it’s just a simple 'yes' or 'no.'
I decided to test this theory. I started approaching people, making small talk or giving compliments, viewing every interaction as a real life Tinder swipe. Eventually, something changed: I stopped feeling any emotional weight in these moments. Whether I was paying a compliment to a stranger, chatting with a cashier, or being yelled at by a random grandmother because I didn't let her cut in line I felt nothing. In that moment with the grandmother, I actually stopped for five seconds, struck by a strange realization: 'Wait, am I really not feeling anything at all?'
I also noticed that I stopped feeling any difference in status based on age. Whether someone is 20 or 40, I treat them as equals. In short, I only invest my emotions in someone after we’ve actually formed a connection, not before.
I am an emotional person by nature, but I’ve learned to stop spending that energy on strangers. I’ve started viewing everyone as equals, simply as fellow human beings. I don’t treat new people as tools I see them as individuals whose lives run parallel to mine, but who likely won't impact my own journey. I’m not being immoral or cold; I’m just practicing a form of emotional conservation.

I have reached a point where I’ve completely forgotten what it’s like to approach a stranger and feel fear. About six months ago, I started meeting new people online quite often. Around that same time, I kept coming across YouTube videos of pranksters approaching strangers on the street. I started thinking about how many failed takes they must have to go through to capture that one perfect moment, since people don't always react the way you want them to. That’s when it hit me: strangers are a bit like Tinder in real life — it’s just a simple 'yes' or 'no.'
I decided to test this theory. I started approaching people, making small talk or giving compliments, viewing every interaction as a real life Tinder swipe. Eventually, something changed: I stopped feeling any emotional weight in these moments. Whether I was paying a compliment to a stranger, chatting with a cashier, or being yelled at by a random grandmother because I didn't let her cut in line I felt nothing. In that moment with the grandmother, I actually stopped for five seconds, struck by a strange realization: 'Wait, am I really not feeling anything at all?'
I also noticed that I stopped feeling any difference in status based on age. Whether someone is 20 or 40, I treat them as equals. In short, I only invest my emotions in someone after we’ve actually formed a connection, not before.
I am an emotional person by nature, but I’ve learned to stop spending that energy on strangers. I’ve started viewing everyone as equals, simply as fellow human beings. I don’t treat new people as tools I see them as individuals whose lives run parallel to mine, but who likely won't impact my own journey. I’m not being immoral or cold; I’m just practicing a form of emotional conservation.