There are times when I am grateful that I live in a geologically stable country. Earth quakes of the magnitude affecting Turkey are rare in Scotland as are the significant losses of life that often accompany them. Having said that, there are those people in Scotland who have kindred spirits across the world; who see earthquakes, floods, famines, and other national crises differently from others.

A few years ago a major industrial dispute over here resulted in oil refineries being blockaded by trucks which began to affect the availability of fuel across the country. Within a few days, fuel-consumers, already paying a high price before the dispute discovered that whilst they were feeling the effects of fuel shortages, many petrol/gas station owners were smiling. This was because that instead of making the usual profit on the fuel they were selling, they were making (in some instances) profits that were simply seen as obscene by those who had little choice but to stump up.

There are still garage owners in some parts of rural Scotland where cars are practically necessary, who remain unforgiven for what are seen as predatory and inhuman actions. What business they have now is often founded upon newcomers to the area and people passing through; people who do not remember that that member of the community drained the financial resources of others in the community at a time when community spirit was needed a bit more than usual.

God willing, Turkey will not see such opportunism, but many of those garage owners in rural Scotland are stunned that they are still seen as vultures. Some of them genuinely believe that it was sensible for them to increase the cost of fuel that they had already paid for and were making a profit on. Even those who increased prices to the point where even ‘rich’ people looked twice are sometimes bemused.

It is discernible therefore that making more profit when supply is restricted, even due to crisis, is okay in the minds of some; but personal-mind is not social morality; so is it okay to make more money during social crises?

If I sold wind-up torches and was already making a profit on them that allowed me a comfortable life would I jack-up my prices if a major power crisis arose? If I said yes I would presumably be okay with doing that. If I said no, I would presumably not be okay with that. But why?

Personally, I perceive that jacking up prices when those items I am selling are arguably needed more than wanted is indefensible. It is like reserving stocks for those who can and will pay over the odds whilst withdrawing it from those who cannot pay or will not pay. Of these two factors I am more influenced by what can and cannot be paid for as opposed to what will and will not be paid for; that is I am influenced by necessity rather than desire. At least I think I am.

Some garage owners apparently said that when in the situation for real they did not act as they thought they would in that situation. This is worth looking at. I have heard people say things like ‘I would give a homeless person money’ only then to walk past homeless people without giving them money; justifying it by saying something like ‘they are probably just chancing it’. Often this happens more in summer than winter and lessens towards Christmas. Social seasons seem to open and close purses.

I would still prefer to think that I would not increase profits during periods of social crisis, yet I have no experience of being in the situation for real so I, like others, am probably hypothesising when I assert my morality concerning profit amid pain. The garage owners however have practical experience.

It leaves me wondering if hypothetical morality and in-situ morality are one and the same. If not, those who are currently expounding their morality concerning non-experienced events might be story-telling rather than documenting. Perhaps the shunning of the rural Scottish Garage Owner who profited from the Fuel crisis is more to do with naivety of reality than an understanding of morality out with actual situation.

Whatever morality is, I hope that those in pain in Turkey get what they need and are not deprived of necessary provision due to unnecessary profit. As for us all; I hope that at least occasionally, our theory of the future matches the reality of the present. Perhaps we ought to look at the facts of today before theorising about tomorrow. And the fact today is; people in Turkey are in pain. Let’s at least think of them finding alleviation of that pain rather than being profitable because of it.