Tales of treachery, betrayal, breach of trust, perfidy and deceit have long reigned our bookshelves, slowly seeping into the minds of people unknown. What is betrayal? Can 30 pieces of silver justify the shredding of a string of trust? Can political dilemmas account for an act so inhumane it eats your soul from inside out? Such tales of betrayal are not foreign to us. The names of Judas, Brutus and Arnold have become synonymous with the word betrayal, influencing our wide literary and cultural sphere, forever changing our outlook on the subject, evoking widespread usage of their stories as a cautionary tale of what happens, when you trust someone, friend or foe. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar put forth the universally acclaimed and regarded dialogue, “Et tu Brute?”, and you, Brutus? The one I loved dearly with such brotherly affection? What is the price of unconditional love? What is death, to the betrayal of the one you trusted above all else? That one dialogue replaced the thousands of such questions that formed in Caesar’s defeated mind. The mighty Caesar giving up all fight the second he looked into Brutus’s eyes, answering the question of whether it is death or deceit that pains one’s soul the most. What touched the reader’s heart most was not Brutus’s treachery but Caesar’s act of surrender, how he conceded the moment he saw his dear friend, realising, his end had come from the hands of none other than Brutus. The senators’ need for this infamous assassination plot might make sense in the rational approach. Rome did not need a dictator breaching the long fought for republic that they maintained. They had a responsibility to protect and upkeep what their ancestors fought for. Caesar’s portrait on the common man’s coins was not just decor but a symbol of growing power. Power that resided in the hands of one man. They had to put Rome above all else, even though the events that followed kickstarted the fall of the Roman Empire. But does that justify the literal act of “backstabbing”? Human relationships have thus been complicated even centuries back. And the story of Caesar and Brutus is a longstanding parable highlighting this fascinating complexity of human emotions and relations.

Various parallels have been drawn between the condemnable lives of Brutus and Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus Christ’s 12 apostles, who betrayed Jesus for some pieces of silver. His greed and treachery made him an infamous literary and historical figure, going down in history as a widely hated character. A lot of similarities have been drawn between Caesar’s assassination and Christ’s crucifixion. In fact, Dante’s ‘Inferno’ portrays both Brutus and Judas as being in the lowest circle of hell, being tormented by Satan. Which poses the question, what is the price to pay for betrayal? Eternal damnation and torment by the spirits of evil as suggested by Dante is considered to be an appropriate punishment by readers but what about in the lives of common man? Truth is, in our regular, daily lives, deceit is common. It is unfortunately not an alien experience to many and the spirits of treachery circulating centuries ago still continues even if in small doses. An effective penalty for this callous, sadistic act is not something that is universally agreed upon. Retribution differs from situations to situations, stories to stories, people to people and centuries to centuries. The most tragic aspect of the concept of ‘punishment’ is that it is not always carried out. There are still people walking among us who do not pay for their sins, who do not acquire redemption or have had any negative effect on their lives due to their actions. One might think that is unfair. Well, it certainly is but as far as life goes, it is the truth. Our ordinary lives do not end in battles of good against evil, where the spirits of righteousness defeat the wicked in an epic ending filled with cheers. In life, more often than not, things do not go the way we expect them to. We believe karma gets to the ones who deserve it, carrying out eternal justice, keeping scores, taking down one after the other. Therefore it pains most of us when we realise that in life, the ones who wronged us, still might walk around unscathed. Betrayal by a friend, a lover, a colleague, treachery continues to live on, moving from Roman senators and religious figures to mundane individuals we encounter in our day to day lives.

Betrayal has become something that is so common, humans refusing to break down the stone walls built around them, refusing to give their loved ones the key to the gates of their lives, keeping them at a distance, considering themselves the only one they can fully trust. Trust- it has become something that is so peculiar. When you trust someone, you expect them to be by your side, to prove their loyalty, to be someone significant in our lives. But more often than not,this belief is shattered. Taking advantage of the people who put our faith in us has become an increasing trend in modern times. Why has this become something that is now not surprising to us? Why has trust become something so uncommon? When we let someone into our lives, we partly anticipate betrayal. Why has innocent love without awaiting betrayal gone extinct? To be trustworthy is not to be bound by chains but it is something to take pride in, putting back the missing pieces of humanity.

We read mystery novels and watch films with chilling plot twists, our mouths open wide when the villain has all along been none other than the one our protagonist trusted. So why is it that we are far more shocked when the killer turns out to be the one we trusted rather than someone we did not know? The answer to this is the bitter poison of betrayal, leeching on to the lives of men, destroying the lives of people still carrying the spirit of humanity, slowly slowly killing the light in the eyes of the ones who still believe. Greed, slowly blowing out the flames of compassion that roars in the hearts of humans, stating no one matters but ourselves. Selfishness has seeped so far into our brains that we forget that we are humans. Like wild animals we fight among ourselves, destroying the bonds that once existed, tearing down the towers of humanity that once stood tall in us. We read the story of Judas and think to ourselves, how could a person ever do that? Come to think of it, aren't we all? In small doses we attack the people around us for personal gain, money, greed, lust, power, all coming between the faith put in us. So betrayal is not just a grand showdown with a beginning, middle and an end, but something that we might encounter in our everyday lives. Like going after the job your friend wanted, it might not be that big a deal, but does that also not fit into the narrow frame of betrayal? Breaking trust need not be a grand spectacle but can also come as small, seemingly meaningless acts we do for ourselves.

Not to say that we should not put ourselves first. We must indeed, be our own greatest supporter and caretaker. But should that come at the cost of compromising the loyalty and faith in us, making us better people, making us someone that we are proud to be? If all anyone cared about was personal gain, why are we as men, social beings? We were made to be part of a community. We are privileged to enjoy the simple joys of love and friendship. Why halt that for what at the moment, may seem like all that matters but subsequently changes the way, even we ourselves perceive us. To be a good person is not to bow down and ruin yourself for the comfort of others. We are to take care of ourselves, to provide for ourselves and to make our own lives better, but in a way that does not ruin the lives of any other, even in seemingly small, unnoticeable ways. We have a responsibility to ourselves to upkeep the image we have of ourselves. To keep our head up and say in pride that our achievements did not come at the expense of another. To say that we are proud, of the flames of humanity and compassion that burn strongly in us, holding on to love, loyalty and our responsibility as humans. To live life to the fullest, is to live without regrets, to live without secret sorrows about acts we committed young, which we wish we could take back. 

To live life in all its essence, is to live with feeling, welcoming life with a warm embrace, taking pride in holding on to love, never letting go of humanity, preserving trust, all our life, till the end. That, is the essence of life.

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