Early one morning I sat behind a large truck at a stoplight in a major urban business district and found myself thinking about the truck exploding. I looked around at the sidewalks full of people hustling to work and the streets crowded with vehicles in the early morning rush hour. I observed two tall buildings on either side of the street; one appeared to have an almost complete glass exterior. I estimated that if the truck did explode, the resulting damage and loss of life would be horrific. I had absolutely no reason to believe the truck in front of me was filled with explosives. Why would I have such a thought?
If you find your imagination wandering off into the same place, you are not alone. Terrorism has come to America. 9-11-01 left an image burned into the American psyche.
Add to this the corporate malfeasance observed in recent years, as in the collapse of Enron and other accounting scandals affecting many investors. Or the unprecedented increase in home foreclosures due to predatory subprime lending. How about the huge disappointments we find in the sports figures and media personalities we put on a pedestal? Even the casual observer must be wondering where honesty, integrity and character in America went to hide. Civility and respect seem to be a lost art form.
Americans are feeling a bit more anxious as evidenced by the Pew Research Center Findings from 2007, in which considerable public anxiety was reported. The proportion of Americans satisfied with national conditions hovered around 30%. Life is different than it used to be.
We live in, arguably, the greatest country on earth, but it becomes more deeply divided each day with changing demographics and clashing cultures. Although these figures change to some degree frequently, please consider this:
• There is a huge gap between the rich and poor. The world’s median per capita income per year is approximately $1,400.
• 34 million U.S. citizens live below the poverty line.
• There are over 2 million U.S. citizens are in jails.
• Our Imprisonment ratio – 1 in every 100 adults – is tied with Russia as the world’s highest.
• The use of illegal drugs in our society is a business approaching $100 billion in annual volume.
• The United States has 5% of the world’s population, and yet we consume 23% of the world’s energy.
• Approximately 10% of American adults are functionally illiterate, 40% of youth.
• Half of all marriages end in divorce. Three of ten children are being raised solely by their mothers. Two-thirds of children are born out of wedlock.
• In the 1970’s, nineteen states (201 American cities) reported gang problems. By the 1990’s, all states (1,487 communities) reported gang problems. This represents a 640% increase in about 25 years.
• According to Rand: In 1995 there were approximately 268 international and domestic terror incidents. Compare that to the estimated 4,981 incidents in 2006.
• In 1949, gas was priced at approximately 27 cents per gallon. Today, it hovers near $4.00 per gallon.
All of these elements contribute to violence. These things create pressure in people’s minds and hearts. When enough pressure is created in anyone’s life; they either change something, or burst – just like a balloon. Often times the bursting balloon comes out in aggressive, inappropriate or violent behavior. If you struggle to understand some of the more despicable acts you hear about in the media, one of the first things you should consider when it comes to violence is the “big picture.”
If your world is so small that it is a challenge to see beyond your own doorstep, making sense of violence will be difficult and skewed. I encourage you to take a broader view of violence and the factors that contribute to it. Therein lays the ability to begin to objectively plan for you own personal safety.
In this new area of global terrorism we are encouraged by government officials to go about our lives as if they are the same as before. I beg to differ. Our lives are not the same. We live in a more dangerous world that is constantly evolving.
People that you will never hear about are victimized every day. Those lives personally touched by violence know all too well the lingering and far-reaching effects it can have.
If you honestly believe that the police or the government can protect you from violence, you are sadly mistaken. These agencies will do what they can, but they have limited resources and cannot be present everywhere violence erupts. Remember Hurricane Katrina?
There are, however, some simple things everyone can do to decrease the risk of violence in our lives. Building a paradigm of personal safety that is modern, efficient and appropriate is a great starting point.
Terry Hipp is a career veteran of the Criminal Justice System. He serves as the CEO and Sr. Director of Training & Education at Assault Prevention LLC.
For more than 25 years, Assault Prevention has helped individuals, groups, and organizations proactively plan for successful mitigation of unexpected violence and emergencies-and as a result, bring about a sense of control to their daily lives.
He may be contacted at:
AssaultPrevention.ORG
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