Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
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Notes -
I understand. The meaninglessness of the Hock is a feature, not a bug: I'd be asking my girlfriend to make a huge and fundamentally meaningless sacrifice by being with me, given my subpar-but-not-Quasimodo physical appearance and autism.
I didn't mention very much the 'suffer so that your girlfriend benefits' thing; I had taken this as more or less given that I'd do my best and make unusually large sacrifices in order to keep my girlfriend happy. The Hock may be - but hopefully isn't - a prologue for the kind of determination, conscientiousness, and self-sacrifice I'll need to display in order to maintain a relationship with someone that isn't morbidly obese, has a job, isn't a hard drug user or danger to herself or others, and can manage her own affairs.
Further: I don't know how much I'll talk about the Hock after I complete it, assuming that I survive. I think that the Hock is going to alter my character and personality. I've read accounts of martial artists being able to recognize other martial artists from how they carried themselves, and combat veterans have talked about being able to recognize other people that have been in life-or-death struggles against other people. I know that if I told people about the Hock - even if I called it a "solo backpacking trip" people would either think I was a liar or crazy. That too - the stupidity of the Hock - is a feature, not a bug. Because it's pretty dumb to be in a relationship with some dude that disgusts you just 'cause he's into you.
You know what, med school allowing, go volunteer in Ukraine for a few months. They're probably not too picky about doctors, even if they're only med students, and you might find a woman to bring back with you.
Certainly bigger bragging rights and street cred than a glorified trekking expedition through bumfuck nowhere, and it might even carry a lower risk of dying.
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Going on your stupid hike is meaningless: it's imposing suffering upon yourself to no end and for no tangible benefit. Putting up with the slings and arrows every relationship throws at you because of how much you and your partner love each other is the very opposite of "meaningless": it's pretty much a defining part of the human condition.
And yet I'll note that the vast majority of men throughout human history in stable healthy romantic relationships were able to maintain the desired level of determination, conscientiousness and self-sacrifice without embarking on a stupid narcissistic hike in the middle of nowhere. They just got into a relationship and treated their partner as they'd like to be treated. It's the golden rule, it's not rocket science.
It will not, at least not in the way that you think.
It would be. That doesn't describe the inner life of any woman who voluntarily entered into a relationship with a man she likes even if he's less than a perfect 10. You're describing a person who doesn't exist outside of your own warped imagination.
You shouldn't be seeking out a relationship with a woman who's disgusted by you. You should be seeking out a relationship with a woman who genuinely likes you and enjoys your company. I know you think the best you can hope for (based on the five or six women you've spoken to in your life for more than ten minutes) is a relationship with a woman who tolerates your presence even if she finds you faintly repulsive, but I am extremely confident that you are wrong, and I wish that you would at least give that possibility some sincere consideration for a few minutes.
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