Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the house, you naturally observe the street or parking area. You know what
is usual for your neighborhood and what is not. You would immediately
notice an unfamiliar vehicle parked in the area. Most likely it is nothing
to concern you at all, but you notice it anyway. This is the appropriate
condition to be in when you are out and about.
One frequently heard comment is that people don't want to live their
lives in fear, waiting for something bad to happen. We agree completely.
You won't live in fear. You will live with the understanding that this can be
a dangerous world and that you are confident that you will be aware
enough to see trouble coming if it happens to you or your family. It isn't
all that difficult. Look around and pay attention. It is as simple as that.
PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
RESPONSES TO FEAR
Proper observational skills allow you to see a potential for danger or attack
before it happens. While in condition yellow, you notice a small group of
young men, unfamiliar to you, standing near your vehicle as you leave a
local restaurant. Their appearance is suspicious, and they appear inter-
ested in you. Your attention is now focused on a particular potential threat,
and you immediately move into condition orange. In this condition, you are
focused on a particular potential threat and are evaluating it for danger.
Perhaps this group is not a threat at all, but you still have that uncertain
feeling in the pit of your stomach. As you size up the situation, you should
be reviewing your options. What can you do? What should you do?
If your suspicions and instincts have proven correct and you are
attacked, you now are in condition red. You may very well be fighting for
your life. Fear and panic set in. There are only two alternatives: fight or
flight. If you must fight, your counterattack must be swift and violent. If
you flee, you must literally run for your life. In this situation, you will also
likely experience the physical and psychological responses to fear.
Fear is generally a good thing. It is your body telling you that you are
in danger. Unless fear becomes paralyzing, it can help you fight harder
or run faster by causing the release of adrenaline into your bloodstream.
However, the adrenaline rush also causes human beings to experience cer-
tain reactions that can be quite disconcerting to those who not prepared
for them. These reactions include tachypsychia, auditory exclusion, tunnel
vision, and cognitive dissonance.
