The art of playing for both sides. You’d think one must have some Houdini genes to be able to play for two directly opposite sides, have the cake on both sides of the isle and relish “What a day!” No! In fact at the risk of sounding too bunt for comfort I’d say that one thing in life where you need little or no brains! The logic! well the logic, if we’ve to a call is that, is with working brains upstairs one would probably be, or try to be rational. Would it be wrong to say rational people would have rational stands on various issues and don’t have to play for opposing sides at the same time. However from what we see and hear there are significantly many of who would have love to play for both sides at the same time and go away with it into the soothing evening. But then it would also have been wonderful to think that such scenarios work no more; or are supposed to work no more.
The person either doesn’t understand what’s going on, or that person knows what is going on and still decides to play both sides. I tell you such persons aren’t good company to sit down with for a cup or two of coffee.
Quite a while back I heard of this guy who, they say, never takes a clear position on anything; and I mean never! His trademark was playing both sides of any dispute. He is not only good but skilled and gifted at making his way through all the mess unscathed with neither side suspecting him he’d strike at the time he sees convenient. And I wouldn’t even try to tell you all the mess he caused and all the relationships he practically bombed out of existence. And all this time every side believed him as their confidante to whom they can pour their hearts with no fear of being betrayed. His verbal skills were so refined that suspecting of any wrongdoing even for a few seconds would cause you berating yourself; “What a thankless person I am to think bad of this wonderful fellow.
His story however didn’t end there. At a certain time he was involved in a very dangerous spiral of two sides of the same family and he tried to play both sides and won their confidence making a lot of money in the process. They say it was an insanely rich family. Finally, no one knows how but both sides discovered what he had been doing and he had to disappear. It’s said no one ever heard of him since that time though the rumors were that he was in South Africa.
We are in an age where such things are at times applauded by certain sections of the society. They are taken as keeping pace with the way things are done in this ‘modern’ age, or even being and acting ‘civilized!’ I seldom am comfortable putting in the term, ‘civilized’ anywhere as it appears we’ve lost track of whatever it means.
You’ve probably heard again about GPS thing; yes, Global Positioning System. Wherever you might be there’s no escaping. These days though no one has yet handed in their patent applications there seem to be too many human GPS! And believe me compared to the human GPS the one up there in the skies is second rate. How they do it astounds me!
The reaction when someone is found out to be playing on both sides and making fools of everybody might not be nice, depending how both sides deal with the story. They probably wouldn’t play down things with things like, “Oh that happens every now and then. No need to treat like it’s any issue of significance.” It might be a terrible thing to just play down things because it might come back to hound us later on. What if the guy has practically taken everything we considered highly classified in our own ways! That wouldn’t be at all nice. What if projects we’ve been working on for months and hoped they would bless with high-side six figure pay suddenly fall into the hands of the very person we were trying to beat to the finishing line! How did it happen? Well, the very guy who you didn’t suspect was playing both sides had sold out to the better ‘bidder!’ And how did that happen? You have been talking to him in confidence while you were laboring over the project best friends are for such times too! There were tries you’d have entertained such thoughts with no fear of the smile on your face being suddenly wiped out. After all, as we said earlier what are best friends for! Really? Isn’t that nicety that has gone over the edge of the cliff many times over! Well, you can talk of that proverbial stab-in-the-back but it wouldn’t be a very god idea. After you yourself handing over the stiletto through confessing everything you were writing believe you’ve no one to blame but yourself. As harsh as it might sound that is one very painful reality of these days; being hurt by the closest people in whom you put all your confidence!
However trivial, at some point many would like to play both sides because whichever side triumphs you’d still be on the winning side. Aha! Isn’t that how world politics works especially when it comes to the bigger powers? There are many conflicts raging on the African continent, a very sad reality where a hundred and one invisible hands from across the oceans and seas seem to be playing the remote controls. What is important in such situations isn’t about official press briefings and statements special councils or whatever. It’s about what goes on behind the curtains. It’s the question of the interests of which sides are upheld by keeping the conflicts going. This world isn’t run by what is being said and vowed glittering halls of the powerhouses with the cameras rolling while elsewhere old conflicts are upheld and newer ones created. Sad, very sad that Africa still seems to be in the crosshairs of those who are determined to keep it troubled while they are playing both sides of the conflicts.
So playing both sides of any dispute or conflict isn’t about only individuals or groups but more so about larger, bigger and more powerful players whose lust for power and dominance is scary as scary could be! Think of a soccer star playing for both teams! “Unrealistic” you might say! on the soccer field, maybe. But elsewhere it is a different story!
BY EPHREM ENDALE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 13 APRIL 2025
