Non-violence

When confronted with violence, how does one respond non-violently?

Is responding non-violently an act of acceptance of oppression? Is pacifism passive?

If non-violence is the answer, how can one be persuaded to accept the suffering that it may bring?

---

I believe that non-violent resistance and negotiation as equals are the only ways out of the violence surrounding us, but it is very, very difficult to endure and persuade others in the face of the daily realities of scarcity, control, economic depression and hot violence.