Last week my friend Anthony was in the middle of his leave from the Marines before he went back for his third tour in Iraq. One night he was out partying with some friends in a major American city, sucking-up as much freedom as he could before he’d have to face the daily fear, gunshots and the constant possibility of death. It was about midnight as he was walking back to his car, when out of the darkness; three young men appeared and stuck guns in his face, demanding money.
Anthony did what he thought was the best move for that particular moment and gave them all of his money—ONE DOLLAR. Thankfully, they left without harming him. Anthony called the police, made a police report and went home shaking his head. Anthony’s a very accepting fellow, and after the fact, you didn’t hear him complain much—but he had to be surprised that so close to his home, he risked death by violence.
The fact of the matter is many of our urban centers and in some cases our rural areas are getting to be quite fearful and in some cases, out of control. Not only the traditional “bad areas” but also larger areas are now dangerous. And of course, we are a mobile society, which means a bad neighborhood is just a short drive away—as short as a half-hour.
So, what did Anthony do wrong? Nothing wrong, but the shame of the matter is that with violent crime rising in many areas across the country, we really should make an extra effort to be aware of our surroundings—those areas we’re apt to visit one day.
Here are good ways to be aware of your general surroundings:
· Read local newspapers, keeping your attention on local incidents and their locations.
· Watch
local news keeping your attention focused on where crime is occurring. Bad news is good news, by that I mean media outlets definitely pick up on those incidents which in turn, certainly can inform “aware” men and women.
· Have a tiny bit of your daily consciousness focused on areas of possible danger that friends, coworkers or passerby’s may be talking about or simply mentioning.
It’s certainly a shame that our country has many areas where a man or woman can come as close to death as in a war zone. The real shame is that it is happening too often and in too many areas. Until crime stays on a continuous downward trend as we enjoyed for decades in America, we should consider being extra aware of where we are at, where we are going, and where we might end up one day. It’s a small, easy price to pay to be able to live, love and experience another day.
About the Author:
Steve Kovacs is the author of the book: Protect Yourself: The Simple Keys Women Need To be Safe and Secure–which also has been made available as an E-book at http://www.allsourcesecurity.com/ - Steve’s a former police supervisor and police training director who has taught hundreds of women, men and children unarmed self-defense. He has been involved in the Martial Arts since the age of eight and has been inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame and The International Karate and Kickboxing Hall of Fame. In addition, Steve has taught Private Security and Investigation at the college level and national magazines and television programs have utilized him as an expert source in areas of safety and security. Presently, he serves as President of All-Source Security Services, writes on various topics of safety and security, and does select seminars.
Contact Steve at: info@allsourcesecurityservices.com
Tags: crime awareness, Iraq, Iraq and crime at home, Marines, steve kovacs
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