By Krishantha Prasad Cooray
We have been taught to ‘strike while the iron is hot.’ It makes sense. One presses one’s advantage. This holds for investors, politicians and even those navigating complex strategic situations. If life is a game, if countries and economies are ‘at war’ with one another, then such truisms can be and are applied.
Then again, we know of ‘fishing in troubled waters.’ It makes sense too, but in this case, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Somehow, making capital of someone else’s misfortune doesn’t seem right.
Of course, we don’t really live in a world where things such as fair play and justice are celebrated and rewarded. When profits are raked in, it’s the bank balances that are scrutinised. ‘Ends should not justify means,’ we are taught but that adage is affirmed mostly in its reverse. Ends do justify means; the history of the world bears this out.
And yet, in a world where ‘might is right’ and the so-called Golden Rule means ‘He who owns the gold makes the rules,’ where warmongering genocidal world leaders threaten to end civilisations and proudly promise to ‘bomb the enemy country into the stone ages,’ and the means to desired ends sanctions attacks on hospitals and schools and the killing of children, the sick and elderly, there’s something to say for decency and civilisation.
This is why I feel a certain unease when crises are spoken of only as opportunities. Of course we need not be pessimistic; there’s virtue in being pragmatic and looking to optimise in a not-so-kind world where unfolding events conjure images of terrible scarcity.
‘Crisis or opportunity?’ That’s one way of framing analysis of the world right now. The subtext however it’s pretty for this reflects a mindset that is not only misplaced but has no qualms about diminishing people, communities and countries.
It is like saying ‘hard luck buddy — see you later, or never,’ to someone who is all but ‘done and dusted’ or ‘down and out.’ And then laughing your guts out.
It is reasonable to say that every crisis may, in time, present opportunity. History shows that resilience and recovery often open new paths. But there is a clear line that must not be crossed. It is one thing to recognise that crises shape opportunity. It is quite another to view someone else’s crisis as an opportunity for oneself.
What is unfolding in the Middle East is not a shift to be assessed for advantage. It is a moment of consequence where families are disrupted, livelihoods uncertain and nations are under enormous strain. To reduce such a reality to the language of “opportunity” is to miss both its gravity and our responsibility in how we speak about it.
Let us be clear. Governments must remain alert in times of global instability. Preparing for impact, safeguarding national interests and ensuring resilience are not only legitimate, they are necessary. But that is not the same as suggesting that another country’s crisis is to our benefit. That line should not be crossed.
For Sri Lanka, this carries particular weight. The Middle East has, for decades, been a source of strength for our people, providing livelihoods, stability and support when it mattered most. Those ties were built on trust and mutual respect. They should guide not only our actions, but our words.
There is a difference between preparedness and opportunism. One reflects responsibility. The other reflects a failure of judgement. At times like this, the question is not what we might gain but how we choose to conduct ourselves.
Do we speak with proportion? Do we recognise the human reality behind the headlines? Do we show, even in our analysis, that we understand the difference between strategy and decency?
The Middle East does not need to be viewed purely through the lens of our advantage. It deserves commiseration but, as importantly, respect. When others endure crisis, the only ‘opportunity’ that counts is that which allows us to demonstrate our character.
There are countless idioms that we can use to buttress an argument or justify less-than-admirable position. We pick and choose. We can be heartless, we can be wise. I believe we should err on the side of heart and wisdom.
