麻豆社

Good morning.

Amongst the various photos from Saturday鈥檚 protests, one striking image stood out above all others. It was of Patrick Hutchinson, a black man who had gone to an anti-racism rally in support of Black Lives Matter, carrying a white counter-protestor over his shoulder to safety, surrounded by a group of friends protecting him. When asked about their actions in rescuing the individual, Mr Hutchinson said 鈥淲e did what we had to do鈥�.

The history of race in the UK is a deeply complex one. From our statues to our street names, and from our museums to our civic buildings, the remnants of slavery, colonisation and Empire are inescapable. There鈥檚 a tough debate ahead as to how to educate ourselves about history so that it鈥檚 holistic, rather than just being told from the victors or oppressor鈥檚 perspective. As we slowly emerge from lockdown, there is a desperate need for us to reconsider who we are as a nation.

But we also need to recognise that, despite our differences in views and opinions, about what we think is the right way to acknowledge our past in the 21st century, or even addressing issues of systemic racism within society as a whole, the starting point must always be our common humanity.

Jo Cox, who was herself brutally killed by a right wing extremist 4 years ago today: 鈥淲e are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us鈥�.

In the early 18th Century, the Sikh community in Punjab was under constant threat from the Mughals. After one particular battle, a Sikh by the name of Bhai Kanhaiya was seen giving water to every injured soldier he came across, regardless of whether they were Sikh or Mughal, friend or enemy. Some Sikhs were annoyed by his actions, and they reported him to the Guru. The Guru called Bhai Kanhaiya and asked him why he was sharing their water provisions with the wounded enemies. He replied that he didn鈥檛 see friend or foe after the battle, just fellow humans all imbued with the same Divine spirit. The Guru was pleased by the response, and he provided Bhai Kanhaiya with balm and bandages so that he could care for the wounds of the injured as well as quench their thirst.

Acting with compassion for those we vehemently oppose can be challenging, and it isn鈥檛 always easy to 鈥榙o what we have to do鈥�. However, treating a fellow human, someone who hates what you stand for, as a person rather than a villain speaks volumes and says so much about that individual and their approach to fighting discrimination in society.

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