keep us safe

this world is becoming an awfully scary place. schools, universities, malls, city streets and offices have all been grounds for bloody rampages or awful expressions of crime in the past few years. it seems that these incidents are becoming more frequent. this. scares. me.

the first instance of these tragic events that i can recall is the columbine shooting in 1999. the horrific stories the survivors told griped the nation. it was a very sad day. the next event that so vividly comes to mind is September 11th 2001. a day that needs no description, a day we all mourn over. other events that followed have reminded me of my own vulnerability. events such as the kidnapping and long search of Drew Sjodin, the Red Lake shooting, the Virginia Tech shooting, a friend being mugged. and today a mall in Omaha was the scene of an apparently random shooting attack, where at least 8 people died. are we safe anywhere we go?

it wasn't so long ago that people didn't lock their doors. it wasn't so long ago people answered their doors and knew their neighbors. it wasn't long ago that thoughts of terrorism and crime were far from our minds.

now i contemplate when and where i will run errands. after dark. by myself. now i never leave the house without my cell phone. and now i have contingency plans if i'm ever attacked. i really don't think i'm a paranoid person. i don't think anything will ever happen to me. but i think being prepared helps make that so, and just in case...well, i'm already prepared.

there are all kinds of emails that float around warning of kidnappers ploys to assault you and sex offenders posing at police officers. i figure i'm better off having thought about how to respond if ever i am forced to respond.

i know that you can kick out a taillight and stick your arm out, if you are ever stuck in a trunk. you can break a persons nose with the heel of your hand by hitting them in an upward motion (which makes their eyes water and hard for them to see). your heel, knees, and elbows are very strong. you don't have to pull over for a cop if you feel unsafe.

i've luckily never been put into any situations where i've had to use any of this knowledge. but from time to time i think about it. and sometimes if i feel the least bit uncomfortable, i think about how i would react or where i would run to. i like to think if anyone ever threatens my life that i will fight them to the death. i hope i never have to find out if that's true. i wish this world were a safer place. i fear for the direction we are headed. i'm sad for those who have endured any such events. God protect us.