The best way to deal with toxic people in your life is to block them, distance yourself, cool things down, and simply go through the motions — letting each other gradually fade out of each other’s lives.
Everyone walks their own path. Dragons have their rivers, snakes have their ditches. It’s best to simply live and let live, never crossing paths again.
No hard feelings — offer a smile, light them a cigarette. Don’t provoke, don’t offend.
Why?
So-called bad people are bad because their character is vile and their nature already tainted.
So-called petty people are petty because they bully the weak while cowering before the strong, their desires impossible to fill.
So-called fools are foolish because they are ignorant and beyond teaching.
For all these people — distance yourself, then pour your energy wholeheartedly into building your own life. Slowly move upward. That’s all you need to do.
Let them crash into walls on their own. Let them torment each other in their miserable environments. That is the best response.
Remember this: truly smart people only distance themselves from the garbage in their lives at the root level. They don’t dirty their own hands by rolling around in the mud pit with these types, fighting to see who comes out on top.