A few days ago I saw a posting on a forum by a woman asking for advice on being better prepared to defend herself and her children at home.
Immediately she listed some restrictions including no guns, no knives, no dogs and no impact weapons.
Restrictions are understandable for various reasons and that is the great thing about self/home defense, there is an abundance of options.
And the options came pouring in. Pepper spray, increasing quality of locking mechanisms, alarm systems, etc. For personal security it was suggested some hand-to-hand defense classes might be a prudent investment in addition to carrying taser or personal alarm. The information was mostly solid and standard for the kind of information being sought.
Then the woman came back with her list of excuses. Too much money, too much time, too much change, too much risk of getting hurt. She didn't think it would be worth it, didn't think it would work. By the end of reading her response it felt a bit like, "Well, I guess I'm just doomed, but thanks anyway."
She, and many others like her, come to self defense like someone goes shopping for an outfit to make them look skinny when they are overweight. They want all of the results without any of the work. They want that magic trick of the eye that will melt off their ill preparedness and not only mask it but actually work in the event it is needed. It doesn't work that way. There is no easy way. At least not an effective one.
If you want to be better prepared and better able to defend yourself and others in the event you need to do so, it's going to take spending a little money, getting a little dirty or bruised, a few days out of your weekends and some hours in your evenings. It's going to take a commitment and work and effort.
There is no specific order of things that must be done, or no specific list of things you must get, but it's a truth that people find both time and money for things they really want or need.
Set a budget for both your time and your money. Set a goal for your personal security, home security, family or work security or a combination of them all. Work until you've achieved that goal and then set a new one.
It may not be easy but it's worth it.
Immediately she listed some restrictions including no guns, no knives, no dogs and no impact weapons.
Restrictions are understandable for various reasons and that is the great thing about self/home defense, there is an abundance of options.
And the options came pouring in. Pepper spray, increasing quality of locking mechanisms, alarm systems, etc. For personal security it was suggested some hand-to-hand defense classes might be a prudent investment in addition to carrying taser or personal alarm. The information was mostly solid and standard for the kind of information being sought.
Then the woman came back with her list of excuses. Too much money, too much time, too much change, too much risk of getting hurt. She didn't think it would be worth it, didn't think it would work. By the end of reading her response it felt a bit like, "Well, I guess I'm just doomed, but thanks anyway."
She, and many others like her, come to self defense like someone goes shopping for an outfit to make them look skinny when they are overweight. They want all of the results without any of the work. They want that magic trick of the eye that will melt off their ill preparedness and not only mask it but actually work in the event it is needed. It doesn't work that way. There is no easy way. At least not an effective one.
If you want to be better prepared and better able to defend yourself and others in the event you need to do so, it's going to take spending a little money, getting a little dirty or bruised, a few days out of your weekends and some hours in your evenings. It's going to take a commitment and work and effort.
There is no specific order of things that must be done, or no specific list of things you must get, but it's a truth that people find both time and money for things they really want or need.
Set a budget for both your time and your money. Set a goal for your personal security, home security, family or work security or a combination of them all. Work until you've achieved that goal and then set a new one.
It may not be easy but it's worth it.
You didn't offer to sell her a magic wand? 'Cause that's really what she wants - or some guarantee that no harm will ever come to her or her family, because they're "good people".
ReplyDeleteThere are lots and lots of people out there like this, and that's a sad thing.
She is missing something that renders all the efforts to help her meaningless...
ReplyDeleteNo matter how large her arsenal, how high the walls of her castle, it won't help a bit.
She needs to make the commitment that her survival and that of those for whom she is responsible are more important than that of an attacker..
Until then she is merely a victim looking for a place to be taken advantage of by a predator...
Agreed!
Delete