Situational awareness is extremely important, even if you live in a part of the world that seems far removed from “huge” threats to personal security.
As an example of “situational awareness is extremely important,” consider that going down the road in an automobile is a far “huger” threat to personal safety than most people realize.
But this article is about much more than being a safe driver.
The world is a wonderful place, but it can also be a dangerous one. […]
Regardless of the threat, it is very important to recognize that criminal and terrorist attacks do not materialize out of thin air. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Criminals and terrorists follow a process when planning their actions, and this process has several distinct steps. […]
People who practice situational awareness can often spot this planning process as it unfolds and then take appropriate steps to avoid the dangerous situation or prevent it from happening altogether. Because of this, situational awareness is one of the key building blocks of effective personal security — and when exercised by large numbers of people, it can also be an important facet of national security. Since situational awareness is so important, and because we discuss situational awareness so frequently in our analyses, we thought it would be helpful to discuss the subject in detail and provide a primer that can be used by people in all sorts of situations.
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It is critical to stress here that situational awareness does not mean being paranoid or obsessively concerned about your security. It does not mean living with the irrational expectation that there is a dangerous criminal lurking behind every bush. In fact, people simply cannot operate in a state of focused awareness for extended periods, and high alert can be maintained only for very brief periods before exhaustion sets in. The “flight or fight” response can be very helpful if it can be controlled. When it gets out of control, however, a constant stream of adrenaline and stress is simply not healthy for the body or the mind.
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Clearly, few of us are living in the type of intense threat environment currently found in places like Mogadishu, Juarez or Kandahar. Nonetheless, average citizens all over the world face many different kinds of threats on a daily basis — from common thieves and assailants to criminals and mentally disturbed individuals aiming to conduct violent acts to militants wanting to carry out large-scale attacks against subways and aircraft.
Many of the steps required to conduct these attacks must be accomplished in a manner that makes the actions visible to the potential victim and outside observers. It is at these junctures that people practicing situational awareness can detect these attack steps, avoid the danger and alert the authorities.
I think you should read the full article by Scott Stewart over at STRATFOR: A Primer on Situational Awareness. He also has a follow-up article titled Watching for Watchers.
As a former missionary in northwest Mexico and as current chairman of a mission board with personnel in that same region, I find the article an essential, compelling read.
And as a Christian, I’m thankful to be able to rest securely in the knowledge of “divine resources and assets” being “deployed” for my protection and the protection of those in my care.
So in closing I offer you just three verses:
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).
“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7).
There are more; feel free to post them as comments below.
