It's easy to hit back at online haters disparagingly, especially when you are used to getting that kind of abuse. But Sarah Silverman shocked the internet when she decided to take a different route to tackling the mindset of one of her trolls, and reached out to him with all the sympathy she could muster.

Sarah Silverman at 'Battle of the Sexes' premiereSarah Silverman at 'Battle of the Sexes' premiere

It takes a special kind of person to be able to show generosity to people who seemingly don't deserve it, but the 47-year-old comedian proved doing just that is the key to making the world a better place to live in because it so worked.

When one user attacked her on Twitter by branding her a 'c**t', she decided to do a bit of investigating before replying. What she found was a man living with a crippling back problem, mental illness, a marijuana habit and a desire to be banned from Twitter, which prompted her to offer help.

'I believe in you. I read your timeline and I see what your doing and your rage is thinly veiled pain', she said. 'But you know that. I know this feeling. P.s. My back f**king sucks too. See what happens when you choose love. I see it in you.'

The presumably shocked individual immediately opened up to her about the root of his troubles, suggesting that he'd been abused as a child and wanted to kill that abuser, and revealing that he was also struggling financially.

'I want to kill him too so I can't imagine your rage', Sarah went on. 'All I know is this rage - and even if you could kill him - it's punishing yourself. And you don't deserve punishment. You deserve support.  Go to one of these support groups. You might meet your best bros there.'

Almost miraculously, he agreed to go to a support group, adding that he had no friends. But, most importantly of all, he sincerely apologised for trolling Sarah.

'Dood I don't care. I'm fine. I see something in you', she said. 'My gut tells me you could have a great life.  My shrink says we don't get what we want, we get what we think we deserve. I'm telling you, you deserve so much more than you know.'

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Since then, Sarah has appealed to the people of San Antonio, Texas to help this gentleman get the care he needs for his back problem, and already clinics have been in touch with him. He's even managed to raise over $2,000 for medical bills on a GoFundMe page.