When you have deep, meaningful knowledge on a subject, you will come across an unending number of people who challenge the truth of the matter seeking to promote falsehood.
Some of those people may disagree with you in a dignified manner, but there will also be many who approach the discussion with harsh, rude abrasiveness.
Having extensive, factual knowledge of an issue allows one to have reserves of patience enough to absorb the rudeness without retaliating.
This patience is in fact confidence, since he knows that the rudeness of his opponent does not carry any weight behind it. It is merely a facade hiding the lack of substance in his argument. The one with true knowledge on the matter knows the field of intellectual battle very well. He likely knows his opponent’s argument intimately, and if not, his own knowledge based on first principles and study suffices him towards victory.
The man with true knowledge positions his troops in a strategic formation on the intellectual battlefield, covering every angle and ready to execute his plan in a decisive sweep. Meanwhile his rude, harsh and by all means ill-mannered opponent sends all his soldiers into the field all at once with no formation or plan. He is easy prey for the man who knows the battlefield completely and has prepared for precisely the moment at hand.
Therefore the knowledgeable man can afford his opponent some leeway with regards to swagger and arrogance while remaining composed and polite himself, he knows that his victory is inevitable since his position is based on truth. Should he so wish, he can toy with his opponent the same way a cat toys with its food in prelude to conquest. The rudeness of his opponent serves only to make his success sweeter. The inevitable victory will be more severe upon his opponent than any insult that can be thrown against him.
Knowledge therefore, gives one the ability to remain extraordinarily patient against an intellectual opponent. In such a scenario, one should remain patient in the face of rudeness and dismantle it from its foundation with knowledge. Refrain from retaliating with rudeness of your own, because the victory will outweigh any harm you may endure and your retaliation removes the shine from your armour. Striking the foundations is enough to regain your honour.
Knowledge is power.