Two Dangers We Take for Granted But Which Can
Potentially Harm Us and Our Family
It's crazy. As I was waiting for my wife in front of Walter Mart in Munoz, I noted my surroundings--especially the people around me. Nine out of ten were either busily texting or playing a game on their smartphones while big amounts of cash were being loaded in a bank armored vehicle in plain sight nearby. Not many people see how dangerous this is.
Image above by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
And then nine out of ten people were smoking around folks who were not, including toddlers, kids, teenagers and old people. The adults with their tots just let them hang around with smokers. Then on EDSA (main highway), I saw adults walking with their kids while keeping themselves on the safe side and exposing their kids to the dangerous side of the road, right next to where vehicles drove past.
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These are two dangers we take for granted but which can potentially harm us and our family--(1) mobile phone engrossment and (2) insouciance in the streets. If we change our carefree mindset and become aware of what's going on around us (without being paranoid), we'd often be in a safer place even if it's a notorious locality. Sometimes, we cannot but find ourselves amid sudden danger.
I make it a point to be extra alert all the time, especially when something potentially dangerous is lurking around--like the above example, a bank armored vehicle loading bulks of cash in public. If a holdup or robbery suddenly ensues, that will be a surefire thing that can prove quite dangerous--take your choice, a stray bullet hits you, be mistaken as a robber or be taken hostage. Worse, your loved one is taken hostage. It's going to be a nightmare, unless you're Casey Ryback in Undersiege, Robert McCall in The Equalizer or Bryan Mills in Taken (Liam Neeson movie). It's not farfetched, I mean a violent crime suddenly erupting right in front of you. Some years ago, a bloody bank assault happened inside Walter Mart.
Most people just take these things for granted. While potential danger is there, they pay no attention and think that being overly concerned about it is silly. So they keep busy with their smartphones instead--texting, playing games or listening to music with their headphones on. Once danger strikes, they don't know whats happening and get caught unaware, often figuring among the fatalities.
Smart Phone Engrossment
Smart phones are a big help. You easily contact people anywhere you are and update yourself on your family and friends far and near via social media, even those overseas. That's definitely needful. But cellphone misuse and abuse can put your life and those you love on the line. Death squads riding in tendem can hit anywhere and you may be wrongly targted (or your loved ones) or accidentally hit if you're not alert because you're too busy with your phone.
You're also an easy target to snatchers and holduppers if you habitually use or expose your phone in any place. It's happened several times and shown on social media but people never learn from that. They watch the videos but remain mindless about their phone use. We should easily learn from the mistakes or bad experiences of others. Some people won't get the idea until it happens to them. It's not a smart way to learn.
Insouciance
Alertness in the streets, especially busy streets, is very important. Everyday I see adults with kids walking in the streets, with the kids kept on the side where traffic is, while the adults stay safe shielded by their children. Daily we see erring drivers unmindful of traffic rules and ignorant about the street rights of pedestrians. They're prone to hitting or side-swiping people walking in the streets. This is why we should automatically put our kids, wives, older people or the weak on the safe side of the road, away from the traffic, with us shielding them, walking along the side nearer passing vehicles.
Another example is not knowing street conditions where we are. If we see danger ahead, we should take another route or double back to get away as far as possible. But insouciance will never allow us to see ahead. We'll just walk right through danger and realize it too late. Snatchers often attack from behind, like those riding in tandem on motor bikes or those walking and sneaking behind. A little awareness of your surroundings can help prevent these things by taking safety measures preemptively, while danger is far away. If I see suspicious looking people ahead, I'd quickly look for an establishment with an armed security guard and stay there for a while.
Get Out of Danger NOW
I tell people I love and who face the world out there daily to keep out of danger always and keep out NOW. And always pray, whether in safety or in danger. Where there is potential danger, get out pronto. Each time you see a bank armored vehicle for instance, get away or don't lurk near it. Where there's a crime in progress, disappear from that. Once when I and my nephew were walking along Congressional Avenue near EDSA, I heard gunshots. My instinct was to immediately seek cover behind a concrete post and listen to where the shots were coming from (don't just run anywhere).
I tell people I love and who face the world out there daily to keep out of danger always and keep out NOW. And always pray, whether in safety or in danger. Where there is potential danger, get out pronto. Each time you see a bank armored vehicle for instance, get away or don't lurk near it. Where there's a crime in progress, disappear from that. Once when I and my nephew were walking along Congressional Avenue near EDSA, I heard gunshots. My instinct was to immediately seek cover behind a concrete post and listen to where the shots were coming from (don't just run anywhere).
Then we saw people runnng to where the shooting was to watch it. I told my nephew this was exactly why people become easy casualties in crime scenes. They want to satisfy their curiosity and end up hurt or dead. When I was sure where the shots were coming, we run in the opposite direction, carefully seeking cover in anything that afforded protection. I wanted us to disappear from that scene ASAP. So what if we never knew what it was all about? Our safety was the priority. And yes, stupidity is the third thing we tolerate right under our noses and exposes us to danger.
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