A poem by the very talented Jewel Kilcher:

Criticism
The savages are upon me
and I feel my flesh
Burn
beneath the teeth
of their indifference

What do you do when you are just going about living your life, not hurting anybody (on purpose at least), and giving your best to causes and passions that you think are worthy AND THEN somebody comes along and hates you to the bone with no logical reason? The person even feels the need to tell you, although impersonally ('coz the person is a coward, you guess) and he/she does it in a very offensive way.

Here is my story.

At first I was quite unnerved. I am human and I do get hurt. And although I don't hold myself superior to anybody, I felt that I wasn't really doing anything exceptional or controversial to be at the receiving end of such a reaction.

So I did a bit of soul searching and I have found the answer.

Often times, it isn't really you. Some people are just jealous, insecure, and have nothing to do in life but obsess about others in an effort to take their mind away from their own flaws. But it is also useful to perform self-reflection and see if there is even a fragment of truth in the accusations. In case you find that there is some point to it, treat it as constructive criticism. That's the best anyone could do.

So my game plan is: I won't allow myself to be affected in an unhealthy way. I'll just take it into consideration to help in my growth. And I'll try to prove the person wrong. I am a good person. At least I try to be. If he/she doesn't like me, that's his/her problem.

And so I've realized: I am strong. The more they bring me down, the more I am challenged, the more I push myself up. Like a phoenix, I will rise from the ashes. There is a fire that burns within me and it will not be put out by insecure people unworthy of my attention. I am a fighter. I ain't going down. Not without a fight.