Here I am, at this crossroads, and each direction seems to be the right one to take. I do have a preferred choice, but that choice involves (physical and possibly emotional) isolation and possibly some amount of hurt. Do I take the plunge?

It's a bit like a micro-debate on whether to think like a traditional Easterner vs a traditional Westerner (like a Greek). We learnt that Easterners think not for themselves but for the good of their family/clan/community. Westerners think for themselves and rarely regard the benefit of the family/clan/community in their decisions. Of course these are all stereotypes but there is a grain of truth in them, although these differences in thinking could probably have blurred with globalisation. 

Anyway, which way do I pick? And are their differences really significant?

For now all this is unimportant. As I type, A levels are 10 days away and ticking menacingly towards me (and you). T.T The terrible single digits are coming!