How is you personal radar? I won't presume to have any idea what other people are thinking as they saunter about on their daily business. They're getting on with life. It's work, it's school, it's social or family obligations... you know, it basically all appears to be w-o-r-k.
Over the past few years while working on the various corporate campuses I've noticed an interesting (and to me alarming) phenomenon. People are in a very broad & general sense... bloody oblivious! Either they're unconscious or they're aggressive to the point of begging for a violent confrontation. There are levels of narcissism & unawareness that defy explanation or justification.
At first I thought that this was a societal phenomenon. It is not that lmmited. It is a spectre that appears to cross societal & regional lines to a degree. You can be certain that most individuals who live in a war zone have developed their instincts to be aware of their surroundings. Yet the larger majority of people living in "civilized" regions are under some dangerous misimpressions.
Here are some examples that I have observed, solely in my own... back yard:
Technology can be a wonderful thing. There are so many different tools, gadgets & widgets available now to make life "easier" that people have become depenent upon many of them. We daily see people driving while attempting ot manipulate cell phones in conversation or texting. I've seen people on the freeway in rushhour traffic reading books, using their laptops & even eating breakfast.
Closer to home (and in my own opinion even more annoying) are people who become so engrossed with these "gadgets" that they are locked in their own world & seperated from the external environment by disinterest. I've seen people so immersed in thei rphone conversation or a texting duel that they've literally walked out into traffic on major arterials. This even makes its way into other mundane areas of you rlife, such as the movie theater. Been to a matinee latly? Good luck watching the feature. Dependin gon your selection, the venue may be filled with offcast juvenile deliquents who have nothing better to do than pay $12 for a motion picture & then spend 2.5 hours texting & talking on their wireless devices.
I've seen people entering a building, receive a phone call & freeze in the doorway to catch that "important" call. They're now blocking the doorway... but they don't even notice. They'll stop in the stairwell.... not on the landing mind you... but on the stairs... to engage in a conversation. Never mind the dozens of people fighting to get past them & on their way. The world must stop in order that these imbeciles can conduct their personal business. In the realm of corporate scism, this may garner a harsh look or a loud, snorting exhale. In the middle of a metropolitan city, or on a secluded trail, it may get them mugged, assaulted, raped or killed.
I belive that there are several explanations for this. I also believe that they are inter-related & intertwined. Part of the issue is that people are now much more socially segregated that we were a decade or more ago. We send more e-mails than real mail. We use dgital media & connectivity to introduce, announe, pronounce & propogate. Technology has made all of this possible. Technology also allows our previously inherent social skills to atrophy.
However technology is not to blame. Technology & it's use are only a symptom. People are essentially lazy. People like to have a comfort zone. Considering the degredation of the species, it's actually quite amazing that our ancestors were able to survive at all. What kept them alive was their animal inheritance. It is this that we lose as we "evolve" on our journey. Unfortunately for some, all of mankind does not evolve at the same pace.
Predators are not so disconected from their surroundings. They are quite capable absorbing what they need to to survive... which means picking a target & making certain that they do not become one themselves. YOU are the target.
Perhaps it would be more correct to explain that within the human species, there exist various sub-species. Nearly everyone can accept that different animals fit into similar categories. For our purposes, we will make a distinction between predators & prey. Some animals eat other animals... & some animals are eaten by other animals. Like some other species, humans fall into both of these categories, depending on their own behavior... & what comes down to critical decisions.
I've read a few times that "what seperates humans from other species is that humans prey on their own kind". This is absurd and it's incorrect. This is one of the things that connects us to the natural world. A minimal amount of research into animal behavior will bring to light a host of species that revert to cannabalism & even euthenasia for their survival or as a part of social organization.
No, the difference between humans & "animals" is that humans develop an expectation of others that is undeserved & not based on anything other than wishful thinking. Humans don't value self-preservation as highly as they should. The other difference is that humans ALLOW themselves to be be controlled and manipulated to a level unprecedented in the animal kingdom. The only animals that I have seen as readily controlled are some of those that reside in the barn yard. If you were to do a basic side-by-side you'd see that the average citizen probably has more in common behaviorally with cattle or sheep on their way to the slaughter house than we do to lower primates.
It is behavioral. It is conditioned. It is also avoidable. If I become so absorbed (and really, self-absorbed) within my own shell, occupying myself with my toys, I'm fair game for everything from the street hood to the crack in the sidewalk... or that fast moving neighborhood bus.
Though there are annually millions of tax dollars spent at universities across this nation on studies of humanity in a social context, it appears that virtually all of them lack something crucial. I suspect it's because of that human characteristic of wanting trust & comfort. Nobody is going to approve a grant to a study that endorses arming oneself & dispatching a homicidal maniac. It's the correct response... but very few "experts" want to admit it. The grants that get approved are the ones that attempt to understand the human psyche from a "scientific" & predictable (and thus controlable) perspective. Asocial violence is NOT controllable. That is to say, "understanding" violence will NOT make it go away. It is predictable... at the very least to the degree that someone like myself can make a statement that horrible attacks do happen... & not get an arguement except from a clueless idiot. Most likely hiding on a Internet forum.
One cannot hope to control their environment if they are unaware of it. Individuals who ensconce themselves in the mentality that we need to see predators from their (the predators) veiw are mistaken... & yet they are also correct. The dichotomy occurs where some attempt to understand why individuals live by violence. The practical application of such studies needs to be directed into the how. I need not see the reason for an assault against me or my loved ones. I simply need to know how to respond... & "do unto others" while I am physically able.
So what happens to the average citizen who tip-toes through their day, insensible to their surroundings even to the point of stopping in the flow of traffic to answer a phone call? They die. They're eaten. Eventually this person is going to find themselves on the dirt end of the stick. It may take years. Of course, there's always the possiblity that they may get lucky & never be faced with it. Odds are that someone close to them will make the headlines though.
I honestly don't know if there's a solution to this. I suspect that if nature has it's way, there will be a culling of the unfit. Most people not only do not think in terms of "survival" they deliberately choose no to. It's an unpleasant region. A populace which has been conditioned to trust their protection to the state has bred instinctive skills into nothingness.
I mentioned those living in regions where war, death & dismemberment is common place. So humans are capable of survival in the most dire of circumstances. These people have a solid understanding of what is required to stay alive. It comes from necessity. I'm certain that there was a conscious decision in response to a school bus bombing, an attack on a community, a roadside ambush... These unfortunate people observed & learned.
That necessity does not exist only in war zones. If I were to look at the instances where I've had "close calls" (like the auto accident last April) I could make an arguement that the potential for death is everywhere. The likelihood may be of a lesser degree, but it does exist. Ignoring it is obtuse. Pretending you can evade it is folly. Being so disengaged that one can barely navigate a parking garage or the foyer of a building? What would you call that?
Don't be so involved in "activities' that you aren't even aware of traffic on the street you're crossing (or that you ARE crossing a street!). Don't get lost in that novel you're reading while you're riding the bus. Yes, setting on Metro for 90 minutes is a mind numbing experience. Being assaulted within spitting distance of the driver is horrific... & they aren't going to rescue you.
Don't take a nap in a public venue. Sometimes it can be tough to stay awake. I've worked long hours & odd shifts. On a few occasions I was so tired that I literally fell off of the bench & onto the floor of the bus. Deal with it. Stand up if you have to.
There's no need to go "commando" to develop a healthy sense of you surroundings. Unless you're required to wear a neck brace 7x24 then you can turn your head. Do you eyes & ears work? Use them. If you're walking down the street & you see a group of strangers mobbed on the sidewalk, engagged in loud, obnoxious behavior... cross... the... street. I'm assuming that your legs work as well. If you're moving, you can vacate or divert. If you're standing still... START MOVING! Do it.
Put down the toy long enough to navigate. If the call is important, they'll leave a voice mail or call back. Get your priorities straight. Crossing the street, getting into or out of the building or getting across a lane of traffic is more important than blathering to you freind about lunch or a movie date. You have a responsibility to yourself & those around you to remove your head from wherever it may be lodged. Do it... for the children.
Perform due diligence to recognize risk situation. Avoid them it's possible to do so. When it is not possible to do so? I think I'll save most of that for another post. It behooves you to look at local newspaper articles (if your local newspaper actually dares to run anything but the headlines) of local incidents of violent attack. In addition, read up on other unfortunate occurences. It doesn't need to be strictly relegated to human-on-human assault. Bad things happen to people. A building fire, a structural collapes, a 10-vehicle pile up... aren't these all things that a sane & snensible person would want to avoid or at least be able to survive? Not so paranoid after all are we?
Lastly, you can think whatever you want about this. I'm very lucky in that the opinions of others on such subjects are less than worthless to yours truly. If you adamantly disagree... then you're likely one of the dim-wits I've been complaining about. You can feel free to click away from this blog to the puppies & kitties. They're three of four pages south of here.
If you decide to heed any of this information or advice & your family & freinds start riding you? Ignore them. I can tell you from personal experience that sooner or later your deliberate observation is going to pay off. People will be amazed because "I did not even see that dude." is going to be heard quite often. I thought it was a compliment... at first. Now it tends to disgust me. It tells me that some people who should know better aren't willing to do some very simple exercises to improve things in their favor. These people have been given resrouces, advice & recommendations. They're on their own now. It reveals the practical value that people put on themselves & on others.
No comments:
Post a Comment