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