“I may not be perfect by your standards,” I continued, “but I am proud of who I am. I have people in my life who love and respect me, and I don’t need validation from someone who gets his kicks out of belittling others.”

I paused, letting my words sink in. The air seemed to thicken with the silence that followed, and I could see that I had caught him off guard. This was a man who thrived on making others feel small to boost his own fragile ego, and he clearly wasn’t expecting resistance.

“You know,” I added, “I feel sorry for you. It must be exhausting to carry around so much hate, to feel the need to put others down just to feel good about yourself. I hope you find peace one day.”