Sights
Of course one easy way to tell if someone is on their way to your location is to … look.
It’s also a good way to tell if there is something happening around you that you might want to be aware of.
If it seems simpleminded for me to say these things, you would be surprised how much these things need to be said.
In an emergency situation, people tend to develop tunnel vision. Things immediately at hand take on increased importance. The further off a thing is, the more likely it is to be ignored. That is natural, and a good survival characteristic. If you do not stop serious bleeding, it does not matter if rain is coming.
On the other hand, it can go too far quite easily. Some people, especially if they are in shock, develop a physical tunnel vision where they literally can not see outside of a very narrow field of vision. This is not a good survival characteristic. People have walked in front of speeding fire trucks, not seeing them nor hearing the blaring sirens.
So it is an excellent idea to get in the habit of checking out what’s happening around you. That way, you will tend to be able to use that very important skill if you are placed under sudden stress.
Sight is most people’s major sense. In normal circumstances, we perceive our surroundings primarily by looking. So be sure to look well. Do not just assume. Actually look, with as fresh an eye as you can manage. Be alert for anything that seems off in some indescribably way. It probably is, and that would make it a very important thing to keep looking at and trying to determine if it is dangerous.
While our natural sense of sight is a good thing, we can make it better. Ways to do that include security systems such as cameras in crucial locations. Unfortunately remote tv systems don’t last very long in an emergency situation unless you have bodacious electricity generating capacity. I find binoculars to be a much more trustworthy help.
More about binoculars next time.
