Awareness

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Four pillars of awareness toward survival:

1. Mind-set/Mind-state: The three “P’s” or “Prepare, Prepare, and Prepare!” 
• Addendum: Mind-set + Mind-state are absolutely critical to self-protection/survival in our modern world of “social reality.” One must achieve a mind-state that feeds our mind-set in many ways with none more important, as you can imagine, then our psychological and emotional intelligence and maturity. In this I point us to what you already know to be the very human condition of “dissonance and biases.” 
• Dissonance and Biases: the very deeply imbedded “instinct-like survival mind-states” that we all have to deal with. The mind-state that is hidden from us in order to function as nature intends/intended. To achieve awareness of the concepts as well as our own dissonances and biases is that critical mind-set/state necessary to achieve greater success in self-protection.
• Practice Dissonance and Bias Awareness: think baby steps, think about how we can practice before we are inundated by stresses and dangers of violence and consider just being aware of dissonance and biases and work to detect it in yourself when it comes up. You really do have to practice this one every day so that you train your mind to recognize it when it happens and then consider alternates to to each situation, event and issue. 
2. Risks or Risk Assessment: Do a risk assessment of yourself and your family; do a risk assessment of your home, neighborhood and work environments; do a risk assessment of area’s you visit on occasions. Know risks, prepare for eventualities when in the risk-zone and know what you know, don’t know and don’t know you don’t know and prepare, prepare, prepare!
3. Knowing your options: To make good, efficient, and proficient decisions you have to know your mind-set, give yourself permissions, know the risks involved and then prepare, prepare, prepare; those strategies and tactics necessary to achieve proper, appropriate and socially legal objectives to “get ‘r’ done.” 
4. Having objectives: You just can’t tell your self ‘survival,’ because that is too broad and does not take into considerations all the above. Survival depends on what situation and environment and adversaries you face in any given moment. This brings together all the above three so when you face things you can then decide on appropriate actions whether it is to simply turn around and leave; avoidance once closer to the situation; escape and evade if too close to the situation; and/or to take appropriate legal and socially responsible actions to defend and protect if things get physical. Objectives must involve proper mind-set/state, a thorough set of concepts derived from risk assessments, the development of options or what some refer to as rules of engagement or rules of how you engage in actions from avoidance to actual actions after the immediate incident is resolved when first responders start to arrive. 

Your number one priority should always be about your safety and security then the safety and security of family and if possible the public be they neighbors, friends or strangers in the vicinity. If you are not in a position to remain safe and secure then you are NOT in a position to provide that to family and so on, just like first responders, or the law enforcement officers, where establishing security and safety for themselves first; then follow for all others in the environment they would be unable to do their jobs. 

Stay safe, stay secure, be of proper mind-state, know the risks in life, have options and don’t forget giving yourself permissions to carry out those options; followed in tandem with objectives of the appropriate kind. Failing to account for any one or more of these four pillars means no-success resulting, in some situations, in grave harm or even death. 

Note: the four pillars are my perception and created concept from the email sent by Alain Burrese in his Sunday email safety tips. Mr. Burrese and his site/emails are a huge source of information, idea’s, theories and other facts of life about self-defense, well worth the effort to join in and up with…many of my articles, etc., come from how such folks as Mr. B present their concepts and perceptions, you just have to absorb it for what you need. 

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