Thank you all for replying, and thank you all for your understanding kindness. This may seem silly, but it means a lot to me. A lot.
Until recently I'd viewed dating and the emotions associated with it as a kind of evil. Now I'm realizing they're not necessarily all that bad a thing. Thus, I've become curious about it.
But I still have to ask if it's worth it. It seems to be incredibly restrictive, which raises the previous question. Dating, or any romantic, relationship-type interactions, from my observations, seems to be a heavy weight to wallet, time and freedom.
In summary, I guess I'm just trying to scope out its nature before I even think about attempting to venture into that world, or deciding if it's worth visiting at all.