A Third Way

Don't fight, don't give in, but win.

I learned this stuff in high school. If anyone's got further clarification, it would be appreciated.

Walk the Extra Mile

Roman law only allowed soldiers to force a non-citizen to carry the soldier's armor for one mile. Recall that there were mile markers on every road -- the Romans found that stuff very important. Anyway, the law was there to make sure that the Romans didn't entirely piss off the subjugated populations. Recall that one of the Colonists' beefs with the English was the law allowing the British Army to sleep in a colonist's house, i.e., "quartering" -- there is even an amendment forbidding quartering (the third, if memory serves).

So, imagine this: A Roman soldier forces a Jew to carry his armor for a mile. They hit the mile marker and the Roman says, "Okay, you're free to go," but the Jew keeps walking with the solder's armor. Now, imagine the soldier chasing the Jew down the road so as not to get in trouble with his superior officer.

Turn the Other Cheek

Back in the day, there were "norms" about whom you could slap and how you could slap them. A back-handed, aka "bitch slap" was reserved for those giving the worst of insults to the worst of society. For some reason, you could open-hand slap a peer or an okay guy.

So, you get slapped on one cheek (which causes your face to move) and you immediately turn so that the guy can bitch-slap your other cheek. "Come on, I dare you."

There are alternatives to fighting. Kill'em with kindness.