Being There
Most people are not awake.
We live in a time of comfort and safety. Despite all the warnings about threats, we live our daily lives expecting very little out of the ordinary.
Most of us live in our houses and cars and offices, and spend as little time ‘on the street’ as possible. That is reasonable, because going outside our comfort zone might be dangerous, or at least could result in some uncomfortable situation. We go to the store, get the stuff, get back asap. That’s about it for most people.
That’s not it for everyone. Some of you are very awake, and you easily enter a higher state of awareness. When you go out, you see the cat in the bushes, the guy that looks a little out of place for some reason, the car that is not acting quite right. That is very good. That is survival when the going gets rough.
The rest of us need to practicing being awake and aware. I have to admit that where I live, there are few active threat situations. So I have gotten somewhat rusty in my skills. When I go to the nearest Big City, however, they come up again pretty quickly. But I do that infrequently.
So I have started practicing. I consciously enter that more-aware state when I go to our nearby little town. And I do it when driving, which is always a good thing. We can become so used to driving that we go on automatic pilot. How smart is that?
And right now at the computer in a very beautiful, very safe place, writing this so enjoyably… I consciously become aware of my environment. Anticipating any change I should be ready to act upon.
Want to do it along with me? PLEASE NOTE: the italic section contains a mild mnemonic to help you remember it. If you don’t want that, don’t read it.
Listen, and you’ll become aware of the fan sounds your computer is making. That was in the background, because you’ve gotten used to it. But now you hear it. If you shut down your computer, that noise goes off, and you will notice the absence of it. You will become much more aware of the other sounds that are going on around you. That is what will happen in any emergency situation. And that is a good thing… if you’re ready for it.
Now, whenever you hear your computer, you will be reminded to practice being aware. This is an annoyingly good thing. Because if you do not practice regularly, your skills will deteriorate.
The next time you go outside, listen. Really listen. Expand your being into the sounds around you, and perceive the activity that goes along with the sounds. You suddenly have a great deal of information about what is going on around you. If you get into an emergency situation, the skill you have for listening and understanding what is going on around you may be life saving. Certainly for you, perhaps for others as well.
Now that you’re listening… look.
Look all around you as though you might see something new. Do not assume that everything is as it should be. Yes, it probably is, right now. Most of the time, it is. But in an emergency, it certainly will not be. If you do not practice being aware of the unusual, you will be overwhelmed with the all-of-a-sudden influx of things that are not as they should be. Inability to cope with the overload can follow, and you don’t want that.
So get used to looking for things out of the ordinary. Small things. You may notice people. Sure, you always see people, but are you SEEING people? Look at their faces when they are not looking at you. What kind of expression do they have? What can you tell from that? Do they seem anxious? Today that anxiety may be relatively meaningless. But in an emergency situation you will need to identify people who are about to come apart at the seams, and either help them or get out of their way.
Do they look ill? Truth is, many people are unhealthy. Most are on prescription drugs daily. More than one drug, in most cases. Isn’t that an amazing truth? Hard to believe, but… that’s the way it is. What you are seeing today is ‘normal’ for the time. But it gives you a baseline to judge against in an extended disaster where people are getting really sick and perhaps contagious. If you can perceive that, you can help them, or avoid them.
This does not mean that some very healthy looking people are not ill, or not contagious. They could be sick with no visible signs of it, so be cautious at all times. But the ones who look ill almost certainly are ill in some way. It helps to recognize them.
Try to notice if there are some people who are calm even when little things happen to annoy them. Mark those people. They are exceptional, and in an emergency can be someone to partner with. Or, sadly, stay the furthest away from. If their heart is good, they will be the best possible person to be around. If not… they can turn their ability to remain calm into taking advantage of people and situations. It takes great discernment to tell which way they are, and I must admit I have (rarely, thankfully) mistakenly trusted some in the second category. I’ll have to go into that further in two blogs that I need to write, Trust and Risk Taking. Both are positive survival characteristics.
For now, please do consider practicing being aware. It is good for emergencies, but also really nice on a daily basis. You live in the moment more. You might find that there is more to life than you’re used to.
