Fear and the art of Being Afraid
Webster’s dictionary defines Terrorism as “the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion”.
Someone making you so afraid of something, or someone, that the way you do things change. The way you act changes. The way you react changes. Even the way you live changes.
In this day and age, we have been dealing with terrorist attacks from around the globe. Its not unusual to be on edge waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Especially when you’re at what you believe to be a location or event that can be a potential target.
You go out for what you plan to be a fun event, but due to this new way of life, you’re constantly looking over your shoulder. Looking at other people. Watching cars. Listening. Looking. Senses are heightened. You’re doing your best to have the time of your life, while making sure this isn’t the last event.
This is what the bad people want. To instil a fear so that in some twisted way they feel like they have the power. They made you feel this way so therefore they are in control. This is terrorism.
So now that you’re living in this mindset – what happens when you go out and your senses warn you that something is off – something is happening. You hear something and instant gut wrenching panic sets in.
Everyone around you panics, and everyone starts to run.
There are injuries – however in this case – they’re non-life threatening.
They are due to the crowding and the pushing and the trampling.
The sound you heard? Someone stepping on a bottle setting off a ‘pop’ like noise.
Sound far fetched?
Read this story here. Not as far fetched as you thought.
In this case, something completely inadvertent and innocent. Police rushed to the stage to actually tell people to stop and back up and give people space as nothing was wrong. Initial reports stated a security partition fell, however the story changed to a bottle being crushed. Either way – both highly likely events in crowded spaces. But it goes to show that living in this new world, our initial reaction is if we hear a loud unexpected noise – we run.
While I’m sure as in every story there are always the heroes – this story would probably be no exception had it turned out to be an actual horrific event. While there are bad people, there are also good people. More good people then bad – you just have to know where to look, or better yet, HOW to look.
I don’t mean by squinting your eyes or cocking your head at an angle. Look beyond initial visual contact. Beyond what brands they’re wearing or not. Beyond if they have a body full of tattoos or unkempt hair. You don’t have to have great hair to be a good person.
On most occasions, your heroes are typically the first responders. And by first responders I mean the ones that are paid to be on scene first. Police, Fire, Security. Its our job to help. We’re there to protect and keep you safe. If things start to get rough, security steps in. First response is to ensure safety. Whoever or whatever we’ve been hired to protect should be secured immediately. If that means being removed from the area, then thats job number one. Dealing with the threat should only be done if it is safe to do so while at the same time keeping our assets secured. If we can’t guarantee disarming a threat while keeping you safe – you are our priority.
This is where we heavily rely on Police as they can now step in and diffuse the situation and engage with the actual threat.
The whole event is motivated by teamwork. Good against bad. And like I said – there are always more good then bad.
So keep all of this in mind the next time you’re out and about and you’re on edge about every little sound or look.
Calm down. Take a deep breath – and relax. Don’t let bad win by living in constant fear. Short of staying in your bed everyday, what happens out in public isn’t in your total control and thats not always a bad thing.
Look for the good in people. Know that there is more good then there is bad in this world and we just need to start looking at things differently. Being more positive. Embracing life and cheering each other on. This is how good wins.
Guest Blogger Rayna Davies
Rayna Davies is a graduate and practitioner of Business Management. She has developed an expertise in blogging, covering subjects like travel, world events and security. Having grown up with a father who has developed an expertise in Physical Security and Executive Protection in the RCMP and two major corporations, she has personally observed and 
experienced many security details. These experiences have included personally meeting HM Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and many celebrities. She presently assists Sentinel Security in Executive Protection workshops and guest blogging and also assists Gloprosec Preventative Services in Intelligence gathering and Business Administration. Her passions include World travel, having visited every continent.
