Dear rdgrad15,

There is so much truth in what you say! I have had similar experiences myself and sadly more than a few times. It is nice that you have silently mouthed "sorry" in the situations you described. I think many people labeled as "toxic" are suffering from undiagnosed mental illness. I used to get angry at such people, but now I tend to feel sorry for them. Happy and well-adjusted people are generally not habitually rude and insensitive in my experience.

The ancient philosopher Lao Tzu once said: "I would find good people good and bad people good if I was good enough myself." Although I strive for that level of benevolence, sadly I fall quite short of it.

I am so sorry for the terrible experiences you have had!

Sincerely yours, -- Yao Wen