Crisis Is Opportunity

Everyday, we live life as if we are safe from danger. However, disaster is always waiting around the corner and can strike us when we least expect it. Although such disasters can be catastrophic and hard to recover from, they are also beacons of opportunity because such disasters can keep us alert and aware of other possible similar events, and such disasters can also help us prevent or mitigate damage caused by future disasters. Once very tragic crisis shocked the whole world, yet it also brought about remarkable improvements to prevent such a disaster from happening again; this event was the 9/11 attack. On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked planes and crashed them, killing at least two thousand people. After 9/11, the entire world was left speechless and in fear because it reminded everyone that disaster was right around the corner, and it also changed people temporarily due to the fear caused by the attacks. However, the tragic events also led to heightened security around the world and led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, showing that even major tragedies can lead to remarkable results that have helped prevent similar disasters. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series also shows that disasters can lead to opportunities. In the Goblet of Fire, Harry finds out that Lord Voldemort is alive again and wants to conquer the world. As a result of his rise, Harry formed his own squad of wizards to train against Voldemort’s army when the time came. This group was called the Order of the Phoenix, and the group was beneficial to all the members because each of them learned new skills from the other members and made all of them wiser. In addition, all the members were also more skilled and helped defend Harry and the school when the final battle between them and Voldemort took place. Another example of how disaster can be an opportunity in disguise is when a fire broke out near our neighborhood. Before, I used to live in a wooden apartment building complex that was getting old. One night, a fire broke out in a section of the complex and grew into a conflagration that took hours to subside. Thankfully, nothing happened to our home, but my family then decided to move out soon afterwards because we realized that a fire like that could be worse in the future, and that it could happen to our apartment too. As a result, we moved to a brick house because the apartment fire scared us about moving into another old wooden house. Every disaster we face is a learning experience. Disasters remind us that we are not completely safe and disaster might be just around the corner. Disasters also help us learn what to do and how to prevent similar catastrophes from occurring. As one of my favorite musician says in his song, “Even a mushroom cloud has a silver lining,” meaning that every crisis also has a bright side to it.