Reply #203: Thank you for this post. :) I had a therapist explain to me once that

[LiberalLoner]

people generally will either identify with the abuser, in which case they will kick a person who is down and try to harm them further, or they identify with the abused, in which case they will try to help a person.

People who identify with the abusers of the world generally become abusers themselves, and bullies, in real life and also on the internet.

I don't wonder about the motivations of this person I've blocked...I'm certain what he's all about, because I've seen types like him before in my life. You have, too. We've all encountered bullies, much to our detriment.

One thing I've noticed is that bullies tend not to do very well in life. Kind of instant Karma if you will. They have failed relationship after failed relationship, they have no real friends, and sometimes they don't do as well in their professional lives as they might have if they had not been so empathy-challenged. They have higher rates of substance abuse, problems with the law, that sort of thing.

For me the most important and most telling part of a person's character is how they respond to someone who is suffering. Do they kick them and harm them further? That is a person I do not want to have anything to do with - someone I want to get far, far away from. Do they help them and act with compassion? That is someone I value and am honored to know.