We were all born with a natural, very real warning system that is designed to help protect us. This system is called intuition, which actually means to guard or protect.
Intuition works very well in young children. In general, it's the only mechanism they have to help keep them out of harm's way. Young children do not possess the ability to analyze and decide who is safe and who is not, they only have the feelings of intuition to nudge and pull them.
Unfortunately, as we begin our formal education around age 4 or 5 our natural response to intuition begins to diminish. The academic education takes over. Academic education is very important, however, we should not lose track of this natural gift. It is important to remember that intuition is a feeling, not a thought.
I urge everyone to make it a priority to learn and reconnect to their intuition. By being aware of the signals, we would have a clearer sense of when we're at risk, and we could allow our heightened awareness to work for us. Some intuition signals are:
• Curiosity
• A nagging feeling
• Distrust
• Uneasy
• Hesitation
• Fear
We've all experienced these feelings before. Because of the varying intensity of the signals, some people do not give them any attention to their own detriment. We may not always be able to identify why we have a particular signal at a particular time, but we certainly have nothing to lose by giving it our attention and let it heighten our awareness.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
College campuses are inviting to predators
A college campus is a heavily populated environment and offers unique challenges when it comes to safety. According to crime statistics, one in four college girls will be the victim of some type of assault during their college career.
In the bigger picture, 85% to 90% of victimizations of women and children are by some- one familiar to the victim. This means a friend of a friend, acquaintance, classmate, neighbor, etc. What this also means is that most victimizations are not random, and if they're not random then they're preventable -- we just need to know what to look out for.
Sinister-minded people searching for victims on a college campus use many tools. They'll engage in social interactions to get to know you, then test you to determine if you would be a good potential target. They'll subtly and playfully use insults as a tool. This tool is designed to test what you'll tolerate. Remember, “what you allow you encourage.” If you'll tolerate the small stuff, you may tolerate the big stuff.
We all enjoy when someone is being nice and charming to us, however, it is a social tool that can be used for ill intent. Is the person just trying to get you to smile, or trying to break down your social protective shield in search of vulnerabilities. The next time someone is being charming and nice ask yourself one question, “what do they want?” Your gut will give you the answer.
Our personal boundaries are one of our best tools for safety. Someone looking for a victim will test boundaries. If your boundaries are repeatedly tested by the same person over and over, it should warrant concern and send you a message; they do not respect your boundaries and could be evaluating whether you are a good victim.
If you attend college, do not overlook good basic safety strategies that can help mitigate the “crimes of opportunity:”
1. Buddy system: not just for young children, remember, predators want their victim to be alone.
2. Lock your doors, check your windows: the importance is pretty obvious; many people overlook it, or just plain forget.
3. Guard your drink: the college environment especially, date rape drugs are still used.
4. The pack: College students are going to go to parties where there might be drinking. Agree with your trusted pack ahead of time to arrive and leave together, watch each other's back.
Other thoughts ...
In the bigger picture, 85% to 90% of victimizations of women and children are by some- one familiar to the victim. This means a friend of a friend, acquaintance, classmate, neighbor, etc. What this also means is that most victimizations are not random, and if they're not random then they're preventable -- we just need to know what to look out for.
Sinister-minded people searching for victims on a college campus use many tools. They'll engage in social interactions to get to know you, then test you to determine if you would be a good potential target. They'll subtly and playfully use insults as a tool. This tool is designed to test what you'll tolerate. Remember, “what you allow you encourage.” If you'll tolerate the small stuff, you may tolerate the big stuff.
We all enjoy when someone is being nice and charming to us, however, it is a social tool that can be used for ill intent. Is the person just trying to get you to smile, or trying to break down your social protective shield in search of vulnerabilities. The next time someone is being charming and nice ask yourself one question, “what do they want?” Your gut will give you the answer.
Our personal boundaries are one of our best tools for safety. Someone looking for a victim will test boundaries. If your boundaries are repeatedly tested by the same person over and over, it should warrant concern and send you a message; they do not respect your boundaries and could be evaluating whether you are a good victim.
If you attend college, do not overlook good basic safety strategies that can help mitigate the “crimes of opportunity:”
1. Buddy system: not just for young children, remember, predators want their victim to be alone.
2. Lock your doors, check your windows: the importance is pretty obvious; many people overlook it, or just plain forget.
3. Guard your drink: the college environment especially, date rape drugs are still used.
4. The pack: College students are going to go to parties where there might be drinking. Agree with your trusted pack ahead of time to arrive and leave together, watch each other's back.
Other thoughts ...
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