I really struggled to understand these words of Tolstoy.

Non-violent resistance and non-resistance to violence

I thought somehow they conflicted. It’s so strange how they are seeming opposites, or they’re seeming like just a duplicate of saying the same thing.

But its not. Its Tolstoy’s and Jesus’ core concept and its devastating to people that abuse power.

It’s just a mix of these two words:

• resist
• violent

You resist in whatever way you can without ever being violent. But if they are violent you don’t resist.

There’s no violence in your resistance. But there’s no resistance to their violence.

All they have to do is use violence, it makes the game so easy for them. But they have to constantly use violence because otherwise you will constantly resist. You use the human weakness they they don’t like constant violence.

Non-violent resistance and non-resistance to violence.

That’s it, that’s what you need.