In the wake of the Texas church shooting, Stephen Colbert spoke on his show about the event and how we seem to be accepting these situations and approaching them with a sense of hopelessness. Talked about how as humans it’s completely unnatural to not solve a problem. It’s in our blood to figure things out.
He gives the analogy that back in the day, if a lion was terrorizing a small village, they wouldn’t simply accept this and say “oh well I guess one person will get eaten everyday, and that’s just life.” Instead they would do something proactive, either build a wall, move the village, or kill the lion. However, the majority don’t seem to be doing much of anything at all.
Now, Stephen ends this in a direction of voting for the right people to take office, to make policy changes. From his experience, that is what makes sense. For me, I would rather teach people to care for themselves and not to rely on others to do that for them, knowing they won’t be able to.
It’s true. It’s sad, but it is very very true.
It’s sitting right in front of us. The reality of these situations. The reality that no one else can protect you. The reality that you are your best hope in survival. Yet, most people ignore it or bury their head in denial.
I cannot begin to tell you how many conversations I have had with people that involve “that will never happen to me” or “that’s why I carry my gun” or “you’re just being paranoid” or “we need more laws” or “we need more guns” etc…
It’s so easy for people to dismiss their own mortality and the fact that there is no guarantee anyone will be there to help you if something goes wrong. They dismiss their ability and their personal responsibility to themselves and there loved ones.
They’ve accepted hopelessness. Most are actually taking comfort in believing that there is nothing they can do about it.
It’s scary… and sad.
In the amazing book Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker states..
“Only human beings can look directly at something, have all the information they need to make an accurate prediction, perhaps even momentarily make the accurate prediction, and then say that it isn’t so.”
Think about that for a second. It’s so true.
The facts are staring everyone right in the face, and yet, we rationalize it. Right now you are reading this and you are probably coming up with an excuse why you haven’t learned medical care, or why you don’t have time to train self defense, or why you are too out of shape or old to be able to do physical things. You’re possibly even convincing yourself that you are already doing enough.
And for some of you that might be true. You might be spending 2-3 days a week in training. You might be attending seminars, building medkits, discussing plans with your families, and preparing yourself for before, during, and after.
But for most, you’re lying to yourself.
You cannot sit back and leave your life in the hands of others. You have to be proactive. You have to accept that you are the best chance you have to get anything done. You have to step out and get after it.
You have to kill the lion.
Be good, stay safe, one love
-aaron
Aaron Jannetti 