Resistance is too often measured by the calculus of gains and losses: the blows dealt to an enemy and the land reclaimed through force. While these metrics may offer insight into military or political outcomes, they fail to grasp the true depth of what resistance means. They do not reach its ethical and existential core.

Resistance is not merely a means to an end; it is an existential position. It is the refusal to normalise injustice or adapt to oppression, even at the lowest point of defeat. It is an affirmation of dignity and identity—of belonging to the free rather than the subdued—regardless of immediate outcomes or shifting power dynamics.

Many fall into the trap of a false binary: resistance or submission. When victory seems out of reach, submission is often portrayed as the more “reasonable” or “pragmatic” path. But this outlook ignores a crucial truth: submission is not neutrality. It is complicity. It legitimises injustice, entrenches fear, and internalises defeat long before it appears on the........

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