There was a guy at my school who had the reputation and basically did whatever he wanted. I remember him throwing batteries full pelt at people in a classroom when there was no teacher, shooting someone in the face with a BB gun, beating people up and just generally being an all around prick. I only had one run in with him when he tried to burn my earlobe with a lighter. I moved away, he got in my face, I brushed him off like the idiot he was and he never did anything to me again.

Anyway, seeing this guy do all of these things to other people made me feel kind of guilty for not stepping in. I'd have been swarmed by his friends and kicked the shit out of, but, you know, you still feel bad about it because you know no one else is going to help. So even though I wasn't this guy's target, I still resented him and grew to despise him.

That regret ate away at me for a few years after school. I'd sometimes think about what I'd do if I ever saw him again. How I could beat the shit out of him and he probably wouldn't even remember who I was. Until one day I did see him again, only he was with his young daughter.

I still think that guy is an irredeemable prick but there's no way I could live with myself if I had hit him in front of his child, or even hit him away from his child, knowing that the kid would see the damage and be upset.

I guess the point is, drastic actions have repercussions for more than just the primary target. Bullies don't give a fuck about that. They don't care about destroying your life or causing your family to be worried about you. And I will never be like that. It sounds cheesey to say "Don't stoop to their level", but it's kind of true, and you can make peace without resorting to violence.

Channel your anger into something productive. Anger really is a powerful motivator and can be an incredibly positive emotion if you handle it properly.