What do you do when a system or government is abusing people with impunity, but you are just a citizen? Research shows non-violent resistance campaigns are successful twice as often as armed struggles. It is highly organized, strategic combat using every tactic available, except violence. Gene Sharp says power relies on the consent of the people, whether it's voluntary or coerced. The goal of non-violence resistance is for just enough people to stop participating in the harmful system that it forces the power to change.
Non-violence as a principle is a commitment to fighting for change without using violence, both on moral grounds and also because it's more effective. When people see someone who is willing to suffer for their beliefs but not harm even their enemy, that creates a shift in people's minds.
Civil resistance welcomes such a change of heart, but it doesn't rely on that. Civil resistance (or non-violent action) campaigns use a wide range of tactics, such as economic boycotts to dramatic demonstrations, to chip away at the sources of public consent that the power relies on.
If you think non-violence is for wimps, you are mistaken. It works, not because you make people your enemy through your willingness to fight, but because you make people your ally through your willingness to suffer. That means you're going to get hurt. Are you willing to suffer for what you believe in?
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