I get the feeling that you're not actually trying to be his friend, but just trying to make yourself feel like a good person.

I gave this some thought and you're actually right. Our friendship first initiated when I could tell he was in distress and he opened up to me about his girlfriend breaking up with him. I spent several weeks helping him out through it all, and through that a bond had been developed.

I was planning on severing the friendship after last night before all of this happened, because I realized I have nothing in common with him. He blew up out of nowhere though, which is why I was surprised.

You may honestly have good intentions, but you're going around with a total lack of situational awareness that only someone hanging out with you for a while would pin down, and only someone that you respected as a mentor could explain it to you in a manner that you could actually comprehend without getting defensive.

Very sound advice, do you have any suggestions on how I can find myself a mentor?

Also, on a side note: success can absolutely be alienating for yourself. This is why behaviors such as name-dropping, social-proofing and the like are generally annoying as it creates more stratification between people and sparks a competitive atmosphere. You have a track record of bringing this out in people and it is the opposite of what people describe as being "down-to-earth". Find friends whose success is not threatened by yours; this doesn't actually mean they need to be rich or successful, but at the least, be professionally accomplished and can appreciate what you went through.

This makes so much sense. I'm going to go through your history and see what other gems you've dropped on this sub. Thank you.