by M.B., Survival Blog:
(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.)
More Stupid Things
“This ain’t Dodge City, and you ain’t Bill Hickock.”
— Quigley Down Under (1990 movie)
The most obvious stupid thing is willingly getting involved in illegal or immoral activity. I’ve watched several people destroy careers, relationships, and everything they cared about by involvement in what at first probably looked like a quick and easy way to make some extra money. The majority of these cases involved the illegal drug trade, and their families often suffered even more pain than the individuals committing the illegal acts.
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Another bad mistake that can quickly turn into a worst-case scenario is intervening in the conflicts of others—especially strangers. Trying to break up a fight is one of the most dangerous things police are called upon to do, and they have tasers, sidearms, and body armor. And frequently they have one or more other officers available, for this kind of call. They also have radios and can call for more backup if the situation is escalating.
Why, then, do people feel called upon to try to stop a fight between people they don’t know? I can see the temptation to save someone from harm, but you don’t know what’s happening, who the participants are, and if any of the bystanders are on one side or the other and will jump in if someone tries to intervene. Fights also have a way of escalating, often with lethal weapons. Your intervention may give one of the people a chance to draw a knife or a gun. No, thank you.
I once witnessed a brutal assault involving two large men attacking another man. I had no way of telling what was happening and moved behind a brick mailbox and called 9-1-1. I had a 9mm pistol and was carrying a bag of plumbing tools from a job that I’d been doing, but I could not have stopped that fight without serious risk of injury to myself or to one or more of the participants. Two police cars arrived perhaps three or four minutes after my call. A crowd of bystanders/witnesses had gathered, so I told the police dispatcher how to reach me and that I would be happy to give a statement, if needed. I ended the call and left the scene.
Perhaps the most likely “stupid thing” that many of us have done is ignoring the little voice in our heads that told us that something was wrong about a situation, a person, or a place. A bad feeling about someone or something may mean that our subconscious mind has noted something that we have not firmly identified yet. A “funny feeling” is a good indicator that we should pause and take in what’s going on around us before moving forward. I’m sure that several readers of this can recall a time when a little voice in their head kept them out of a very bad situation.
Emotion and De-Escalation
“Anger is the Devil’s cocaine.”
— Andrew Klavan
A real danger in avoiding conflict is emotional investment. Screenwriter and commentator Andrew Klavan—in talking about the danger of anger—argues that righteous anger feels so good that it can push a person into doing something that they will deeply regret later. Many of us can relate to that idea, having said things in the heat of anger that we wish we could take back.
De-escalation is a vital skill for anyone interested in self-defense. People who have been in a fight or have witnessed horrible violence are much more likely to look for a way to cool emotions in a confrontation, rather than seeking a way to “win” at the other party’s expense. Scoring a “win” by verbally crushing someone may put them in a nothing-to-lose mindset and bring on a physical confrontation. How much better it would be to relieve the tension with an apology or some kind words, before things can get out of hand.
De-escalation is obviously not always appropriate, such as in the case of a violent, criminal attack, but it is entirely appropriate if the situation is a misunderstanding or a heated moment brought on by someone having too much to drink, or another driver cutting in front of us or following too closely. In a random confrontation of this sort, the moral approach is to look for a way to deflect the anger of others and to cool any anger within our own hearts. Escalating a misunderstanding is senseless, morally wrong, and would likely be very difficult to justify in either a court of law, or the court of public opinion.
PREPARATION
“We cannot get out. We cannot get out.”
— The Fellowship of the Ring – by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954
Preparation in regards to worst-case scenarios will mean different things to each of us. What I wish to cover here are not preparations related to weapons, tactics and confronting a worst case scenario. There are others who have already been mentioned herein—Jeff Cooper, John Farnam, Marc MacYoung—and others, such as Clint Smith and Massad Ayoob. All of them have written extensively about dealing with violent attacks and incidents and have collectively trained thousands of people. I encourage you to read their works. Cooper, Farnam and Ayoob have all written excellent after-action analyses of events that would qualify as worst case situations. You will find their insights very helpful.
