I'm a very sensitive person, I live very intensely and this causes many problems. Often I am overloaded by the outside world and need to withdraw just to have the inner tempest calm down.
I've learned to live with that.

What pains me greatly is the social insensitivity and greedy selfishness of the majority of people in this world, which by my sensitivity is overwhelming to me. In many aspects it is a very cold, heartless, ruthless world we live in.

I haven't adapted to it and I doubt if I ever will. As a hikikomori I have been isolated for years. Re-entering the world online and physically, I am struck by the ugliness that exists in the world, how people lie, cheat, how shallow their care for others is even among friends and lovers.

As the center of my universe I lived my hikikomori years in what amounts to a fantasy world, filling in the voids of the people that were lacking in my life with dreams and ideals. And I can tell you that real life people so far in no way could live up to idealized images of what people could be like.

Can someone help me to arm myself against the ugliness of the outside world? How can I make it that if I encounter these things, it will not drive me back into solitude's comforting embrace again? I want to go into the world, but how can I keep it from tearing me apart?
If anyone has sincere helpful advice I would be most grateful.