A stronger man would take it as a challenge to overcome, and spend his life proving he can do just as well as anyone else.

As for me, "stronger man" or not, I do take it as a challenge to overcome. I do suffer the most painful of broken hearts on this weird journey of ours called "pedophilia", but by the same token, I feel freer than I ever did in some sense as well, owing almost wholly to finding a commuity of such folks (thanks, all).

As far as doing "just as well as anyone else", nahhh. Fugiddaboudit. Life shouldn't be a competition. It's all about living and trying to find those things that please you, whether it be hobbies, skills, labor, etc. We can be inspired by others' lives, but our focus should always be our own journey, irrespective of others'.

I live on a pension due to a physical disability. I have had trouble convincing various places to hire me over the past year. However, I do have a volunteer spot opening soon, which gives me something very good to do with my life besides setting myself up for a broken heart, which I'd otherwise do on occasion. It's not the most glamorous life, but it works plenty fine, especially when I don't compare myself with others more than absolutely necessary. I live. I eat. I'm heading to a Cardinals game next week (out of town---no I'm not trying to reveal too much :p ). I like a good movie. I love soccer (World Cup, EPL, USL Division 2, whatever). For me, distractions are good. Distractions actually make it so I can enjoy the sight of a girl within my aoa, and not feel too attached to that moment.

I'm not sure exactly where I am going with this post, but I hope it's of interest to you or somebody.