麻豆社

Good morning

How far would you go to get your hands on a large amount of money? Would you be willing to lie and kill? That may not sound like it鈥檚 in the true spirit of the festive season, but that鈥檚 the premise of a new gameshow on 麻豆社 One called The Traitors. It鈥檚 mesmerising viewing, seeing people deceiving others and bumping off anyone who gets in the way of their prize.

That juxtaposition of deception and treachery during a time of celebration resonates greatly with Sikhs. The birth celebrations for the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, are just a fortnight away, and yet today is the start of 10 days marking perhaps one of the darkest periods of Sikh history, laden with betrayal, murder, and defiance.

In 1705, the 10th Guru was fighting Mughal forces and armies of the hill kingdoms who had besieged his fortress town. His opponents finally offered a truce. The Mughal Emperor personally promised that if the Guru and his followers left the town immediately, they would not be attacked. The Sikhs had run out of provisions and were facing starvation, leaving the Guru no choice but to accept. The Sikhs were evacuated, but rather than having the promised safe passage, the opponents broke the truce and attacked.

The Guru鈥檚 family was separated in the chaos. His older sons stayed with him, whilst his elderly mother Gujari and his youngest two sons were helped by a fortress servant. The servant brought Gujari and the young children to his own village to keep them safe, but greed soon took hold. He stole Gujari鈥檚 money and told the Mughal authorities of their whereabouts for a large reward.

The Guru鈥檚 oldest sons died in battle, and the youngest were bricked up alive for their defiance against the Mughals in refusing to convert. Gujari collapsed and died when she found out her grandchildren had been killed. And yet, the Guru鈥檚 inner strength and belief in the Divine鈥檚 authority kept him going.

A few years later, Guru Gobind Singh wrote a letter to the Mughal Emperor rebuking his treachery and oath breaking, saying that 鈥淢y trust in you isn鈥檛 even as much as a drop of water.鈥� However, he also invited the Emperor to meet with him as equals and make things right between them. The Emperor died before he was able to travel to the Guru to make amends in person.

The human capacity for inflicting pain on others is immense. However, the ability for forgiveness even in light of the most painful of suffering is something that continues to fascinate me. You may not trust someone a single iota, but you can still find it possible to make amends and maybe even forgive them for what they have done. That perhaps is the ultimate prize to aim for, not to forget but to forgive.

Show less