What to do...

[limey]

Originally Posted by SamIam

Well, you could try an old Buddhist trick I know. Be thankful to him because he is showing you so clearly how you do not want to be. When he starts yapping, send him a silent message of gratitude and go into a little meditative state - you know follow your breath or just zone out. I have found this to actually be helpful. "Thank you for being such an asshole, so I know that if I ever am even tempted to act the way you do, I'll stop that behavior right away." Then slip off into a parallel universe where smartass doesn't exist.

I have a parallel manouevre that entails silently admiring the self-centered smartassness of such individuals. Try to imagine how much more of a self-centred smartass they could be. Think how they are, in fact, underachieving at the moment!