How do you deal with a bully without becoming a thug? In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need -- as nations and individuals -- to fight extreme force without using force in return. To answer the question of why and how nonviolence works, she evokes historical heroes -- Aung San Suu Kyi, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela -- and the personal philosophies that powered their peaceful protests.

Fighting with nonviolence

Real change against violence comes from mastering inner strength, not from returning force with force. From a 13-year-old rushing to help during the Budapest uprising to Aung San Suu Kyi facing down machine guns, history shows that nonviolence can stop brutality. Practical methods like self-knowledge, channeling fear and anger, and grassroots cooperation have dismantled dictatorships and defused conflicts. Ordinary people, working together with courage and clarity, can overcome oppression and help end cycles of violence.