I've touched on situational awareness before but I want to dive deeper for a moment. Lots is always being said about coming face to face with obvious danger. But the hidden dangers that seemingly come out of no where are, in my opinion, more lethal. I learned to hone situational awareness while travelling alone many times over the years. I've almost never travelled with other people, I'm a loner at heart and it just worked out that way. There are many people that never go anywhere or do anything alone, always have a chatty walking buddy, always someone to help with travel arrangements, always a concert buddy to rely on. Being absolutely alone and having to rely on only yourself for information, safety, and well being is more valuable that you can imagine. Learn to discern your environment and recognize harm, help, potential or immanent danger. Befriending strangers can be an important skill to have, but where acute danger awareness is also paramount. Strangers can save you, they can also end you.
I don't have great hearing. I have ringing in one ear probably due to standing too close to concert speakers as a youngin. I NEVER use earphones either walking, or driving. It is incredibly distracting and muffles not only what you may not want to hear but what you might need to hear as well. There is a reason why the sound of a twig cracking in the distance makes hair stand up on the back of your neck. It is a primal response to being tracked by a predator. Being tracked by a cougar in the wilderness is a horrifying experience. It has happened to me on horseback many years ago... when the forest is suddenly too silent, the birds stop, tiny sounds echo, the horse knows- his ears swivel, his steps dance a bit, his skin shivers a tiny ripple. The message is to get out, now!
Walking down a city street at night, can you hear distant footsteps? Are they synced with your own? Do they stop when you stop? Do they fade away into the dark or almost imperceptibly get closer? This happened to my daughter once in downtown Vancouver late at night. She made it to her door safely by walking down the very centre of the street with her keys laced in her fingers, but was terrified.
Is the car behind you keeping a reasonable distance? Has it followed you for many turns? Are you on a deserted dark road or a well lit city street? Is it about to cut you off by rapidly changing lanes? Is it driving erratically? Coming up too fast? Driver doesn't see you?
Are you in a group of people that suddenly becomes so crowded, a trip or fall could be a trample danger? This happened to me during a Celebration of Lights fireworks display in Vancouver years ago. Suddenly I was in a sea of people shoulder to shoulder as far as I could see. The press of bodies became frightening, hard to breathe and I got out of the throng as quickly as I could by traversing sideways straight into the bushes at the side of the street. In the dark, all it takes is one person panicking or taking suddenly ill to cause widespread panic and crowd surge.
A nightclub where the exits are partially blocked or not clearly marked, way too crowded with people, tables and chairs?
A windowless mall where your directional awareness is gone? Suddenly lost on unmarked streets or forest when the trail disappears? Can you get away from where you are safely?
Have you been in an earthquake that is so rare in your area that you don't know what is happening and can't think of what to do? Have you awakened in the middle of the night and something seems wrong but you can't think what?
The only answer I have for any of this is to practice honing your skills. Be alone, listen, explore, become familiar with your surroundings, and educate yourself on how the survivors lived. Who lived, who died and why.
#prepping #GetPrepared #situationalawareness #civilunrest #war
