Comment:

One of the many bullshit things about baseline human existence is that the things that are good for us often don't feel good. Exercise hurts. Maintaining a sleep schedule is irritating. Healthy food tastes worse, and eating the proper amount of it leaves you hungry and frustrated.

Worse yet, there are always people blithely jogging past you, chirping about how much they love mornings and kale and something called a "runner's high", which, as far as I've been able to determine, is not something my body actually does.

But, of course, the real arduous chore is maintaining your intellectual and psychological and emotional health. It's become something of a stereotype, whenever someone calls into an advice show or posts a confessional thread in which they bemoan the idiosyncracies of their dysfunctional relationship, the answer is almost always "just tell the other person how you really feel, dumbass". But, like "just eat less and exercise, dumbass", this advice is more easily given than followed.

Talking about feelings is hard and bad. Escaping into sexual hedonism is comparatively much more enjoyable, or at least it is when you're healthy and horny and in your twenties. I imagine our species would not have lasted this long otherwise.

Transcript:

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0196 - 2167/07/06/16:44 - Lee's apartment, living room.
CP: So, uh... Zoa is y-your sexbot... but it's also a public sexbot? And... and it's your Emotional Support Aid, b-but y-y-you only m-met... yesterday?
Zoa: Oh, make no mistake, Lee is my most valuable long-term client, but they don't own me in any way, shape, or form. I am legally the property of the DemeGeek corporation, I wander around and generate revenue autonomously.
CP: W-with sex.
Zoa: With different kinds of physical stimulus that simulate affection, yes. Also, I'm an ESA now, so I can do that too. I'm versatile!
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LC: I... I liked Zoa. We talked for a bit, and... and it was confusing, but it was nice, and... and I latched onto it pretty hard, because I didn't have anybody and I knew that Zoa wouldn't... that it wouldn't judge me or leave me or... um...
Zoa: I repeatedly expressed my desire to put your phallus inside of me, which, coming from a human, would reasonably be interpreted as affection and acceptance.
LC: Right. I think I needed that, so I just started trying to be nice to Zoa, and then I tried to justify that niceness, and now... now I don't know.
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CP: I... I don't judge you, Lee, if... if that helps. I mean, I'm trying not to. W-we're both just trying to figure out how to do the right thing.
LC: Thank you.
Doc: Excellent, Lee! You're opening up about your feelings, you're expressing yourself, and - most importantly - you're hearing Caleb respond to that. That feels good, doesn't it?
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LC: No. No it doesn't.
CP: Y-yeah, it doesn't feel g-great for me either. Th-this is confrontational and... and s-s-super uncomfortable. And awkward. And artificial.
LC: I kinda feel like shit right now, to be honest, Doc.
Zoa: Hell yeah, talking about feelings is hard and bad, cuddling a robot from behind while it sucks dick is easy and fun, who's with me?
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