Survival In Our Daily Routine.
Revised 6/20/2025
Situation Awareness
Life & Death At The Watering Hole.
Some of us still remember Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and National Geographic bringing the wildlife into our living rooms. I remember Jim always got the dirty job, as Marlon cheered him on. Jim was as physically tough as any man I have seen.
We got to travel through the wilds of places like Africa, while sitting in the comfort of our homes. A daring man or woman brought us this journey through the lens of their camera. Often the point of focus was the watering hole, a place where life and death coincide. The predator does not need to scour the Serengeti in search of his next meal, he simply needs to know where the watering hole is. Water is critical for life and he knows that at one time or another, all will show up at the watering hole.
Take a look at the photo above. A lot can be learned from it in regard to survival in our own day to day activity. Probably the single most important concept taken from the above photo is the application of situation awareness and how critical it is for day to day survival. Every living creature in that photo knows where the predator is. At first thought, you might assume that the predator has an easy life there due to the large number of potential meals. Not so, some days the predator does not eat, situation awareness is hardwired into all the animals there. It’s only when one of the animals forgets about the presence of the predator, then the predator gets to eat.
Lets Talk About Situation Awareness
“Situation awareness is being aware of the activity taking place around you.”
Situation awareness is not a course of study, unless we are talking about pilot training, which we are not. Situation awareness is hardwired into all of us, it’s just that most of us have never flipped this survival switch to the “ON Position”.
I have been confronted with this response more than a few times,” John, I don’t want to walk around life constantly looking over my shoulder for something bad to happen. I don’t want to live that way.”
My response is always the same, ‘ Neither do I, I have never lived my life that way.”
So, how do you turn that switch to the “ON Position”?
The most important fact that I never forget is,“ I share this World with the Good and the Bad.”
I walk out my door every day looking for the “Good”, I open my eyes/mind to what each day brings. Each day I see something good and beautiful. If each day you look for the good that brings you pleasure, you will spot the Bad and you will not get mentally exhausted.
In your daily search for the good and the beautiful of this world, become a people watcher. In doing so, educate yourself in the patterned behavior that you witness. People exhibit patterned behavior in their daily physical activity. Some patterned behaviors make people vulnerable to predators.
Predators are people watchers and become A+ students of patterned behaviors that they exploit to their benefit.
There is no need to create a list of behaviors that make you vulnerable to an attack. You will not be carrying that list around with you and checking each item off as you go. Reflect on your own daily routine, what patterned behaviors (habits) have you developed over time? If I had to pick just “1” behavior (habit) that opens the door to an assault, it would be the cellphone. Take just five minutes in a busy parking lot or a group activity and watch people block out the activity around them as they communicate with the person on the other end of that cellphone. This activity would probably top the list if I made one. Just this month alone, in two different incidents, people who were consumed by the conversation on their cellphone walked into the path of my car. Thank God I was paying attention.
Okay,,,, so now each day you walk out of your home mentally aware, you enjoy the world around you a little more. You have become a people watcher, then one day you spot that person who gets your full attention in a not so good way. So you might ask yourself, “How is all this situation awareness going to help me now?”
First, you have taken away his advantage of surprise.
Second, you can now manage/control a main survival factor in an assault against you. “Distance”
All fighters, predators must close the distance to be successful against their target. Being aware of your immediate surroundings gives you options to create distance between you and the threat. Creating space between you and the predator allows you to prepare a better defense or assault of your own.
The Switch Is Now “ON”.
So Lets Talk About Predators
This is South Beach, I miss it sometimes.
The predators in our daily lives look a lot different than the predator in the photo above, but the life and death game is the same. In our day to day activity, we often visit what I refer to as “watering holes”. Watering holes are locations where people buy their food, shop for their essentials, banks, family entertainment, a gas station or your own driveway after returning home late.
The individuals who cause grief and pain in our lives are no smarter than we are. They are not tougher than we are. The only two advantages they have over us at the moment of interaction, is that they are desperate and without conscious. When you combine these two factors, with a person who is not paying attention to what’s going on around them, then the predator has surprise/first strike in his favor. This often decides the result of the interaction, often in favor of the predator.
Most people move from point A to point B with purpose and have little regard for what’s going on around them. (Patterned behavior)
A predator will often move about seemingly without purpose, but he is fixated on the people around him, he’s looking. This behavior sets him apart from everyone else and makes it easier to spot him. The predator sees everyone that enters his area. Predators are people watchers, most of society is not.
There is a misconception that when you encounter someone who makes you feel uncomfortable or causes you to feel threatened, you should avoid eye contact with them and ignore them as you create distance. Applying this faulty reasoning will increase your chances of an assault, in most cases. Avoiding direct eye contact and verbal communication might work well with the neighbor’s dog, but not with humans. The neighbor’s dog is not looking for a reason to attack you. The human predator is always looking for an advantage before he attacks. He may have picked what he considers a good location, he probably has the weapon of his choice, but neither of these advantages guarantee a successful outcome for him. All predators have one advantage that they always go to first before or during the attack, “Intimidation”. They apply intimidation in many forms. When you come in contact with a person of concern, a simple but firm, “Hello, how are you today?” as you create distance, will take him off his game. He now knows that you are not intimidated by him and you got a good look at him.
Every time I walk out my door to start my day, I say to myself, ”I share this world with bad men”. The mindset is now locked in.
Thank You for reading,,,,,,,,,
