Bandwidth (Analog #1)

by Eliot Peper

As a child, Dag had learned that love led to nothing but pain. He proceeded to seal himself off from authentic relationships as he learned to navigate a hostile world. That savvy and independence had served him well, earning him a gilded ticket to a life of privilege,

Choosing not to care might mitigate the risk of pain, but in doing so it destroyed the capacity for joy, for finding meaning.