bro, please understand that this is coming from a loving, compassionate person who is almost old enough to be your grandfather.
nobody fucked with me more than once. no single man has ever hurt me worse than i hurt him. i almost didn't graduate from high school because the kid who harassed me over my yarmulke needed emergency brain surgery because of a left hook that caught him under the ear.
another time, i thankfully pulled a fatal strike instead of following through on something that started over bad words in a small, crowded room. one of the last verbal battles i accepted ended when i bit the dude in the nose, he got so close to scream at me. i lost count of the number of fingers pointed in my face by screamers that got broken.
i was one of the kids who stood up to the bullies and befriended the nerdy, fat, smelly kids. i can let myself get pretty stinky, too, especially when i'm living outdoors. it helps keep unkind people away from you altogether.
the bottom line is like asimov said, violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. standing up for yourself can too often be no more than accepting a dick waving challenge from an imbecile.
you're still just a pup, but you're a bright one and i'm sure by the time you get to be a toothless old cur, you'll have learned wiser tolerance and compassion and developed some more graciousness.
happy day
peace