Is the world a good place, or a bad place?
Lets forget the underlying philosophical debate that is constantly tied up in intentions and minutia for second, and focus on something a little less general. Lets make it simple. Are there good people in the world? Are their bad people?
Much easier now to decide, isn’t it? The answer to both is YES. Now what? Most people just shrug their shoulders, put their heads in the sand and move on. I’m not saying getting on with your life in spite of the evil in the world is a bad thing, everyone should do this. I do believe there is an inherent danger in the motivation, however. Do you move on from a position of helplessness or apathy, or acknowledgement with action? They are two very different things.
Head in the Sand
There is a certain self-righteousness that comes with acceptance of information, and disregarding it. On this issue in particular, most people adopt one of two passive mindsets in dealing with the obvious. While they accept the fact that there are bad, even evil people in the world, they will assume they are immune because of a multitude of factors, or that someone else will protect them. The other group chooses to focus on the good people, and resigns themselves to focus on only that, with utopian expectations and dreams…the misguided hope that everyone will eventually embrace the goodness in themselves and turn over a new leaf when they see how wonderful peace is.
Poppycock.
Goodness wins battles within oneself, certainly, but out there the rules are different. Only a fool doesn’t see beyond his own nose. Moral superiority does not safety make, and it does nothing to secure goodness for posterity. The parable of the ostrich with his head in the sand is beyond old, but for some reason, its wisdom is embraced by very few.
Probability
“It will never happen to me”…said everyone who has ever been a victim of violence.
Let that sink in for a minute. No one expected to be mugged, armed at gunpoint, raped, molested, shot, stabbed, beaten senseless, or killed. Does that make you uncomfortable? Good! My hope is that it will make you uncomfortable enough to change some things about the way you live your life.
I am not going to waste my time with statistics. People hear them all the time. They watch the news, read the paper, hear the arguments. The data is out there for anyone who can’t see the obvious. No, I am going to tell you why it happens, and what you can do to change the odds. For you, and those you hold dear.
In this post, I am going to focus on the why, and cover the solutions later. There is simply too much to put in one entry, and each step deserves undivided attention.
Why share this with you? Because I am a good guy who knows the difference, and I have a duty to share it with you. I want your goodness and morality to endure for the future. I want you alive, unshaken, and unafraid to share your light with the rest of the world. That is how we can make a difference.
The Bad People
Violent people, who are predominately men, are really good at some things that you are not. Being good at these things is how they operate with such high success rates, and are tough to stop.
1. They understand human inclination to certain behaviors.
Bad guys are experts at human behavior. They can tell things about you by your body language, your level of distraction, the way you dress, where you go, how you behave in public spaces, how you carry yourself, and what you notice. They use this information to know how you will likely react when confronted, when and where to confront you, and their likelihood of success to make you a victim.
2. They are not afraid of operating outside of social norms, and can use them deceptively.
They understand that most people shrink at confrontation rather than fight back. They know that approaching you while asking for the time, or appearing in distress, will trigger a benign or emotional response from you that removes your instinctual guard. They are not afraid to do things to you or others that a normal, rational person would never do…and it is easy for them.
3. They are fit.
How many thugs have you seen that look out of shape? Odds are they work out and know how to fight. They can also run, and will if they want what you have bad enough. They prepare to be stronger than you, because they have to.
4. They don’t follow the rules.
They will do whatever it takes to prevail. They will hurt you even if you don’t “deserve” it. They don’t obey laws, or gun free zones. They will hurt kids and old ladies. The rules are for you, not them.
5. They have done it before.
You are very unlikely to be their first victim. They are well practiced, and skilled in their endeavors.
6. They are comfortable with risk.
They are not afraid to fail, or get hurt. Risk is inherent in everything they do. Their whole life is risk.
7. They choose their targets carefully.
They pick targets with the highest rates of success, both from past experience, and from what they observe about you when you don’t know they are looking.
8. They are focused.
When they attack, they have one goal. Get what they want and go. They aren’t worrying about anything else.
9. They don’t fear the things that you do.
They will initiate the conflict giving them the upper hand. After sizing you up, they feel they have all ready won before they begin. They don’t fear the dark, or knives, or guns, or the police because they are familiar with them. Yelling at them is useless, and they aren’t going to succumb to your pleading. You are an object to them, not a person.
10. They work in groups with increasing regularity.
More and more now, this is becoming a reality, making defending yourself all the more difficult.
What you can do
Accept the facts. Adjust your mindset. Prepare yourself, and be willing to act. Become dangerous.
To be continued…..
alwaysvigilantblog 