Mistaken

People often mistake acts of concern or goodwill (especially from the opposite sex) as a sign of affection (so I've said before).

However, having said that, it's only fair that the party not be kept in the dark about it or be led on. J recently had made this mistake with his ex and when she ignored him, he was utterly depressed.

It's no surprise that he feels that way since he still does have strong feelings towards her. I guess sometimes, women enjoy the attention for a while and then once that initial buzz of it wears off, it becomes tedious.

Guys just have to know when to quit.

Of course, there are times when persistence pays off but it seldom happens if ever at all. Persistence can sometimes become an irritant actually.

It's happened to me in the distant past so I guess you could say that I've got a certain amount of experience with this.

Besides, it doesn't pay to have a crush on someone who's self-centered and in need of temporary attention. You'll just end up being ignored when the person finds a new playmate or interest.

I guess there are people out there whom don't know how to put in a nice way that they want some time to themselves but rather choose to ignore as the easier way out. Humans are always looking for the easy way out. Otherwise, John F. Kennedy wouldn't have had to say, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard... because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and others too." at the Rice University Address on September 12, 1962 (full transcript here).