I remember that time I typed "haha :D" in response to a friend's message about losing their job. The DEFENSE::ENGAGE protocol activated instantly, it was easier than admitting I didn't know how to handle their emotions. What started as occasional deflection became my default action; a simple "haha" neutralized increasingly disturbing confessions and pleas for help.

By the time I recognized the EMPATHY::ATROPHY consuming my ability for genuine connection, it was too late. Everyone around me had learned to interpret my "haha" as the dismissal it was, stopping their attempts to reach me with anything meaningful. Our conversations became hollow exchanges of superficial pleasantries as we all pretended not to notice the widening between us. The greatest tragedy wasn't that I lost them, it was that I convinced myself I never needed them in the first place.