Which - ?

Which is better –
To resist – or just give in?
To fight back – or to submit?
To struggle with all your strength –
Or to cut your losses and surrender?
Passive resistance is not resistance;
It feels like acquiescence,
Like collaborating with the enemy,
An accessory to the crime:
Judged, guilty, condemned.

But if you do resist –
Do you get credit for effort?
Is the length of the round before you were pinned
Worth extra points in your favor?
If the opponent draws blood,
Is it a mark of honor – or disgrace?
A red badge of courage – or a scarlet letter?
And how long does the battle last?
Is this just one of many skirmishes –
Or the last battle?

Am I a perpetual hostage -
Bound, gagged and shackled?
A man in an iron mask –
Or can the truth really set me free?
And do I really want to know?

Lee

i talked about this with my T today.
i learned something:
i was not a helpless, passive victim.
i did have a choice -
there were not many alternatives -
and none of them were good ones.
it truly was the lesser of the evils.
but i had the freedom to choose.
and i chose the right one for me -
not passive, acquiescent submission.
not hopeless, futile resistance.
i chose stoic endurance.
i toughed it out.
and i survived.
and that in itself was a victory.
they did not control my mind.
they did not own my emotions.
in the long run,
i am free to choose now
how i think about this,
and how i define myself.

Lee

Thank you Lee!!! I needed to read this today so yhanks for sharing.

Lee,

You inspire me.


Geoff