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Whatever said... I don't try to be cold either. I guess what others think requires more warmth/feeling is something I'd tell them to get over and not worry about.
Most people have to earn my genuine friendliness. I mean, I'm pleasant around people and I'm usually pretty nice, but more often than not...I just don't give a shit on the inside. (I should probably work on that.)
One thing I've noticed is that it's very hard for me to feel compassionate towards others when they're talking about something I've never been through. My thought process for it is all logical; when I tell them what I think I come of as being totally cold and heartless.
For instance, take poetry...
1. The author should come out and tell me what's on their mind. I'm awful at reading between lines and picking up on subtleties.
2. They're usually referring to something I haven't been through, and even if I have, I'd probably feel entirely different about the whole situation. (i.e. I probably wouldn't care.)
I told one of my friends this and he was in a sort of shock over how incredibly frigid I sound toward other people. I never thought it was that big a deal. I guess it's built in for me to minimize things. I'm also guessing I'll never get an ulcer
As far as theory goes... I think it's great that other people can do it because I certainly don't understand most of it. It's definitely interesting, but I suck at it and that makes me not want to talk about it or do it. I like practical applications much better. If I like the application enough, I'll go learn some theory.