Being Situationally Aware Is A Matter Of Life Or Death

It is 7:30am on the day after Christmas in 2004. The sun is already up in the blue sky of the Andaman sea, and some rare tourists are walking on the main beach of Phi Phi island in Thailand. Most of the tourists are still sleeping, dealing with the usual hangover that comes with the traditional Christmas party.

The locals are busy preparing the long tail boats they use to cruise around the nearby islands. Some Westerners like me, who live here, fill and carry the diving tanks the scuba divers will use to explore the underwater reefs today.

In less than an hour, this idyllic landscape will turn into a dramatic nightmare and many of those people will die, crushed and drowned by the powerful wave of a tsunami coming from the Indian Ocean.

Was there a way to prevent that? Not more than preventing a hurricane in Florida or an earthquake in California. Scientists can predict it, multi-million dollar sensors can detect it, information networks can announce it through various media, but there is no way to prevent it from happening. But we can be more prepared than when I experienced this tsunami in Thailand. Governments and local administrations can invest in infrastructures to mitigate the potential risks and better inform the general public.

And individuals can be better prepared to deal with the consequences of natural events. The people who tragically died on this island were not different from any other people on this planet. As a matter of fact, a vast majority of them were young and relatively fit. They didn’t survive for only a handful of reasons, mainly:

  •  lack of situational awareness
  •  lack of appropriate mindset
  •  lack of physical skills

The situational awareness and appropriate mindset are mainly due to the fact that, when we are on vacation on a tropical island, the last thing we want to think about is the remote possibility of a tragic event of any kind. If the place is nice and sunny, if the locals are friendly and smiling, we quickly feel safe and let our guard down. No pickpockets, no fire, no mugging, no earthquake, no car crash, and therefore no need to pay attention to any precursor sign, no need to keep our valuables and documents with us at all times, no need to have a look at evacuation routes, fire exits, etc. In other words we quickly become complacent when everything looks like paradise.

But this lack of situational awareness and appropriate mindset was only one side of the coin for the many fatalities that occurred that day in Thailand. One of the main culprits was the lack of physical skills. Many people didn’t survive simply because they didn’t have the physical abilities to deal with what happened to them and around them.

Some were not comfortable in the water and couldn’t swim across the strong current that the wave and the obstacles created. The event only lasted a few minutes but the water raised quickly and submerged the lowest part of the island.

Some were not able to hold their breath for a few seconds. When the wave hit the hotels and guesthouses near the beach, most of the rooms were submerged very rapidly, but not for very long. Surprise and panic killed a lot of people in their rooms.

Some were not able to hold on to fixed objects for more than a few seconds. The current was strong and being able to hold on something, or even better to climb onto something, was a good way to increase the chance of surviving.

Some were not able to run away and climb a hill or a stairway. For those who were on the beach and saw the wave coming, the proper action was to sprint and find high ground. Reaching the highest floor of a hotel or one of the nearby hills was a good way to avoid the full force of the tsunami.

Some were not able to push away heavy objects. Entrapment was one of the major risks in this event. Many people drowned because they lacked the necessary strength to move away the objects that the current pushed onto them.

The Western world tends to rely heavily on tools to make our life easier and tools to make it safer. Instead of dealing with the weather, we use tools to make it more bearable (A/C, heater, umbrella, raincoat, sunscreen, etc). Instead of moving in this environment, we rely on tools (a car or an ATV instead of walking and running, a canoe or a boat instead of swimming). We easily blame the lack of protection that can get us injured (“I cannot walk/run without shoes”, “I cannot float without a flotation device”, “I will fall and break my skull if I don’t wear a helmet”, etc).

Tools are fine and make our life more enjoyable most of the time, but what if? What happens when we don’t have them? That’s where skills and physical abilities make plenty of sense. Every one of us, regardless of age, gender and race should be able to do at least the following things:

  • sprint for at least 100 yards/meters in order to get out of danger (collapsing building, wild fire)
  • climb over a wall or fence at least shoulder high (to escape an angry pitbull or a group of thugs)
  • carry for at least 10 yards/meters someone of 3/4 of your size and bodyweight (to save someone from an immediate danger)

  •  swim at least 100 yards/meters without stopping and float at least 10 minutes with no aid or support (to get out of a dangerous zone and wait for a rescue vessel)
  • walk 5 miles in an hour (to reach a gas station when you run out of gas and you cannot call for help)
  • perform some basic self-defense techniques (striking, grappling) to react appropriately in a mugging/rapping/life-threatening situation

  • hold your breath for at least one minute while walking/moving at a slow pace (to escape the toxic fumes of a building on fire)
  • crawl for at least 30 yards/meters to seek cover (active shooter situation) or rescue someone (a child hidden under a car, or someone trapped under or inside something)

If you think that any of those abilities is way beyond your limits, it’s maybe time to reconsider your priorities in life. Being self-sufficient and prepared doesn’t mean relying on tools—it’s knowing that you can deal with dramatic circumstances to the best of your abilities. Tools come in handy when you have physical limitations (age, injuries, illness) but they shouldn’t be the first line of defense.

Having some regulations that require a floatation device in every hotel room in Thailand will not save any life if the next tsunami in the region happens in South Korea. Use your body and your brain. They are the original tools, and you have them with you all the time!

Read More:  How To Improve Your Situational Awareness From One Minute Of Effort Per Day

76 thoughts on “Being Situationally Aware Is A Matter Of Life Or Death”

  1. Some simple tips on situational awareness.
    1. “Around blacks, never relax”.
    2. “If the skin turns shady, do a 180”.
    3. “With Jews, you lose”.
    4. “If it’s white, it’s probably alright”.

    1. The tidal wave crushed people with the floating debris. You couldn’t swim, push junk away, or hold your breath. If you were in it you were dead.
      The only escape was to climb above it.
      Sorry, but this story is nonsense.

      1. Agreed.
        I’m, was, a first class Navy swimmer. Scuba. And a heap of water survival skills. Outside of running to high ground, I really don’t know who thinks these tactics would work in a Tsunami?
        For example, my family and I were south of the one that hit Japan. I saw the one that hit there on TV. Easily a thirty foot wall of watery death and destruction. If you got trapped under all that debris, you’ll need a lot more air than just a minute. I’m not even sure many would survive with scuba tanks after wild animals and potential for unseen debris crushing you under it’s massive weight. Things in the water can become surprisingly heavy!
        The only advice I would take from this article is GET THE HECK OUT OF THE WAY! Treat it like seeing God coming at you furious, and know you better hope there is still time to prey or forgiveness if you can’t escape!

    2. It was the Juz who blowed a nuclear charge on the seabed outside Japan in 2011, caused the tsunami with many thousands of deaths, enormous damages, and the Fukushima disaster. As a blackmail signal.

      1. Haha, yes of course!
        Everything is the jews’ fault, always and without exception. No further argument needed.

        1. Great that you agree.
          We have thousands years of history of behavior that make even more arguments unnecessary.

        2. And, this article:
          https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1657081/japanese-newspaper-apologises-over-authors-claim-jews-caused-2011
          You and everyone know that every single one is forced to apoligise when telling some truth about juz.
          Citat:
          “A Japanese daily newspaper has apologised for carrying an advertisement for books by an author who claims Jewish people were behind the country’s 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.
          The advert ran in a regional edition of the conservative Sankei Shimbun on November 26, and promoted the works of Richard Koshimizu, a self-styled journalist and activist who also blames Jews for the September 11 attacks in the United States.”
          — Nothing wrong here, is it …..?
          continuing…:
          “The little-known Koshimizu used the space to advertise a book claiming the US is a “Jewish dictatorship state” that detonated an atomic bomb deep under the sea to trigger the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
          It was intended to destroy the Japanese economy and defend the dollar, he claimed.”
          — Hmmm…
          continue …:
          “In another book featured by the advertisement, Koshimizu claims the Holocaust was a “fabrication” designed to establish the state of Israel.”
          — Can`t be better and more compelling than this, Erik..?

        3. I am trying to post information about this, but the comment doesn’t go through. I try later.

        4. Trying again by removing links:

          And, this article:
          ….. japanese-newspaper-apologises-over-authors-claim-jews-caused-2011
          You and everyone know that every single one is forced to apoligise when telling some truth about juz.
          Citat:
          “A Japanese daily newspaper has apologised for carrying an advertisement for books by an author who claims Jewish people were behind the country’s 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster.
          The advert ran in a regional edition of the conservative Sankei Shimbun on November 26, and promoted the works of Richard Koshimizu, a self-styled journalist and activist who also blames Jews for the September 11 attacks in the United States.”
          — Nothing wrong here, is it …..?
          continuing…:
          “The little-known Koshimizu used the space to advertise a book claiming the US is a “Jewish dictatorship state” that detonated an atomic bomb deep under the sea to trigger the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
          It was intended to destroy the Japanese economy and defend the dollar, he claimed.”
          — Hmmm…
          continue …:
          “In another book featured by the advertisement, Koshimizu claims the Holocaust was a “fabrication” designed to establish the state of Israel.”

        1. Me? No Rabbi here. I have always given your comments a thumbs up when I see them.

  2. Some simple tips on situational awareness.
    1. Around blacks, never relax.
    2. If the skin turns shady, do a 180.
    3. With Jooz, you lose.
    4. If it’s white, it’s probably alright.

    1. Also…
      5. If their eyes are slanted (East Asian), your safety is probably granted.
      6. If you hear Muslim commotion, there is high risk of explosion.

      1. Hey, don’t fear muslim enviroment in Malindi/Kenia.
        The hotel guard of my hotel had bow and arrow, and will protect you! 😀
        And as a saftey tip..at the Capverde apartment, I asked the owner about saftey issues….He answered: “No issues! You are guest of a Sicilian family. Everybody knows that in town!”

    2. The movie Lord Of The Rings is metaphoric of the real world. The godly Elven race represents the white race. The sorcerers represent the Jews who want to be like the Elven race. The other groups like the dwarfs, hobbits and humans, represent the other races and the Orcs represent the blacks who are used as pawns by the Jews to attack whites.

      1. Actually Tolkien meant for the orcs and Saruman to represent unbridled technological advancement at the expense and to the detriment of all life on the planet.

        1. If so, that’s a very shortsighted view. In the long run the Earth isn’t going to be around forever. And if humans are going to continue on we will have to leave the Earth. This is only possible with high civilization and technological advancement.

        2. The Earth will still be around another 4 billion years or so before a Red Giant Sun engulfs it, but it’s estimated there could be as little as 500 million years of life remaining before higher sun luminosity (as little as 10% extra) could evaporate all oceans, lakes, and rivers and the atmosphere becomes cancerous.
          Basically a gradual “Marsification” in a few hundred million years time.

        3. That’s if something else doesn’t hit the Earth prior to the red sun. Regardless, If we revert back to primitives we sure as he’ll won’t escape.
          Btw, my Lord of the rings analogy was intended as humor but still makes sense.

      2. Having read the books many times over you are wrong about elves. The Men of the West represented Whites. In the book the Southrons were blacks and they sided with Sauron.

        1. As a fan of Tolkien, you are all wrong and it is pretty autistic to see such interpretations.

        2. Tolkien was anti-racist (he greatly opposed apartheid), he greatly respected Jews, he believed that Nazism was immoral and false, and he actually understood that “Aryan” was a purely a linguistic term and not a racial categorization. Why does Roosh allow emissaries from Stormfront or VNN to fester here? Last time I checked, white trashionalists all got mad at Roosh at that one Richard Spencer conference because he talked about boning white women and they all get mad and called him a “mud” or something juvenile. You can still see it on YouTube.

      3. Not quite sure that is what Tolkien had in mind when he wrote the “screenplay.”

        1. To genXman, I was referring mainly to the posters thinking of Tolkiens works as allegories for a crazy racist white power fantasy or something. Sorry for the confusion

        2. Facts wasn’t it leftists and (((them))) that made those accusations.
          “Lord of the rings is too white”
          Tolkien was criticized by Ju’s for anti semitism for portraying juish stereotypes in the goblinoids.
          If I had to guess I would say the hobbits have similarities with the English, elves Nordic/ Northern European, dwarves and the others fit with other white groups. Ironically white people are very diverse heh

  3. Most folks don’t know at any particular time how many and what sex the people behind them or to the sides of them are or estimate their age or temperament. That’s the kind of awareness you need to buy yourself just two seconds of lead time from disaster. Most threats are male teens or adults, the older broads then teen broads. Awareness of animals around you is also a bonus both two legged and more. Too many people whine about being victims because they assume all is fine and grant waaaay too lenient space to strangers… That kind of naivety kills quickly.

    1. “That kind of naivety kills quickly.” ~ As it should. We have eliminated Natural Selection at the expense of the entire human race!

    2. The best way to avoid being a victim is to not look like a victim. I go everywhere alone at all hours of the day and night. I’ve walked through the barrios of Manila, refugee camps in Egypt, Palestinian areas of Israel, never in any danger. Even in the UK when the police were out to get me, their bosses instructed them never to approach me without at least 3 male officers in attendance. You all gotta lift more boys!

      1. Personally I prefer speed and agility like Achilles here…
        (-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq-uMIZGETs )

      2. Why all the down votes for john dodds post? I used to work alone and unarmed in some really violent run down inner city neighborhoods. I’m also short, real short and have worn glasses since early childhood. One thing I did was lift more. A lot more. Maybe that backed a few would be attackers off. Despite all my drawbacks, height etc, I still looked formidable. Probably a bit lucky too as I was never seriously threatened let alone attacked.

  4. The more technologically advanced a civilization is the more likely it will eventually break-down. I am just waiting for some massive solar flare or other natural phenomena to emit an EMP so powerful that it knocks us back to the stone-age. When the computer screens go blank and no one can understand how to go old school with paper and pencil there will be another dark-age. Are any of us here so deluded that we think that Generation Z will come to the rescue? – I say “Bring On The Apocalypse!” real men thrive when Life and Fortune are on the line and they are left to their own devices! Bill explains it all perfectly in the following video, brought to you by VoteLatino:

    1. That’s what I keep saying. The great equalizer and Return to nuts n bolt sanity. Take away the advantage and convenience of electricity and suddenly all the bullshit ends because survival matters and the most adaptable and fittest for the conditions and skills will survive. Mother nature’s weed Wacker will decide.

      1. Take away shopping and the women will lose it.
        Take away STEM and the men will lose it.
        Looks like we’re trapped with no nowhere to go.

  5. Usually I’m hard-pressed to find anyone else who is as situationally-aware as myself
    I was a roughneck on multiple drilling rigs in North Dakota and narrowly escaped injury and/or death multiple times. The dates and incidents will forever be ingrained in my mind…February 14th 2012 and December 22nd 2015
    Part of my training was being told constantly to “keep your head UP” and the solid group of guys I learned from encouraged me to “imagine THIS happening, which isn’t outside the scope of potential reality, where would you immediately take cover?” (For instance, a valve cover giving out and a piston swab being ejected out of a diesel water pump the size of a 2 car garage, or a drill pipe stand falling, etc).
    I’d imagine that being a lumberjack or commercial fishing is similar.

    1. How can you live in this Mad House WITHOUT booze, dope and pills. I bet you are a real bore at parties. But hey, everyone needs a designated driver. “Home James, and make it snappy!”

  6. there was a power outage in California – few years back.
    credit cards were down at retail outlets, and would only take cash.
    that was not the problem -they couldn’t calculate the change.

  7. Is that first photo Bangla Rd?
    I have been there many times. And was there for many months – 2008.
    After I returned to NYC – some girls I knew called and said they heard there was another Indian Ocean earth quake(there was). I told them they were fine where they were – foothills – solid building 2nd floor – just make sure do like I said – have some water and food – just in case. they laughed as usual…
    “for what?”

  8. Got to be situationally aware of )ews. They’ll lie to you and steal your assets in a flash. In fact, they’re also slowly eroding western society and many of the population have their blinders on, thinking the manipulative evil )ews are good people.

  9. Left the office one evening, late, probably around 11pm. Half a block to the train, a five block walk, a beggar confronts me. I don’t engage with him, but hear him say “f- you white devil I know you got a buck if you got a suit”. I glance behind me and see he is following me. Make four right turns around the block to confirm instead of going directly to the train where there is probably a deserted platform. Pick up the pace and he does too.
    I slip into a Chinese restaurant and the guy starts running. It was sort of like out of an action movie I burst through the kitchen with someone screaming at me in Chinese and out the back door through to the alley. Made a hard right and went down two blocks. Waited about five minutes around the corner and didn’t see the guy. Made a longer walk to another train station just in case.
    The experience left me wondering though how many hapless people these days would have just slipped in ear buds, completely unaware of the entire situation, and gotten jacked up on the train platform only to blame to lack of “police presence” of some other BS. My guess is most.
    Keep your wits about you and always have your own safety in mind. Frankly, other then maybe your family and a few friends, no one else cares.

    1. Or, you could have stood your ground and beat the living daylights out of him.
      But I agree, running like a little bitch works too.

      1. Thinking the exact same thing. Your in a Chinese kitchen and you DON’T grab a meat-cleaver and go after the guy???

      2. These bums like to spit and scratch. I would hate to get a bicuspid buried in my right hand….straight to the ER for HIV/Hepatitis prophylaxis and 3 mos of waiting.

      3. And end up arrested for attacking a poor, defenseless homeless man? If the guy is unarmed, police may not believe he posed a threat.

        1. After defending yourself, flee the scene immediately. Do not stick around to “explain” anything to police. Avoid entanglements with the criminal “justice” system at all costs.

    2. “only to blame to lack of “police presence” of some other BS. ” ~ The origins of the modern police force was formed in the South as slave patrols to protect rich planters and their property/investments and in the North by industrialists for the same reasons. The very first priority of the police is to Maintain Order, order that benefits the very wealthy, the second is to protect property, “property” that is in the wealthy elites best interests. Anytime the cops show up “protecting” you it is in fact a very violent man who has learned how to sublimate his violence into a way in which he will never have to answer or pay for. Showing up to “protect” you is just the excuse he needs to be FINALLY let off the leash and tear to pieces whomever he can “legally” attack with absolutely no consequences. Whether he beats the guy breaking into your apartment to a bloody pulp or you because your ole lady calls 911 means little to him. He just wants, HE MUST, let the beast out to play for a little while. And your toothless mugshot is the icing on the cake as he sits at IHOP and jokes with his buddies about your pain and degradation…

    3. I always love the tough guy responses. “Yeah I would have pulled out my gat and off’d the guy” or “Yeah I would of turned around and just went donkey kong on him and stuff like that”. Fun responses till you have an actual meth head about six inches bigger then you following you through empty streets…

      1. Word bro. Many tweakers aren’t deterred by the threat of extreme violence. Better to avoid the situation if you can.

      2. Exactly, just run away from anyone bigger than you are. It’s only natural.

        1. Have you ever been beat up so bad you couldn’t chew food for almost a month? Fighting is messy and usually all parties end up hurt. Avoiding if possible isnt the same as being a coward.

        2. The only problem with that advice is that the demographic of likely street attackers tends to skew heavily in the direction of young, lean males who come from a subgroup that — shall we say — is heavily overrepresented in sprinting sports and speed positions. Trying to run from the typical oppressed youf — without damaging him first — is playing to his strength.

      3. I am not tough by any stretch of the imagination but I AM totally insane batshit crazy which completely fucks peoples minds up. “What, you’re half my age, twice my size and you have a gun on your hip? And you think that intimidates me?” What do you do against a guy who is so fucking out there that he holds his own life in contempt? Or someone who’s survival instinct doesn’t kick in and instead he assaults a position that is unassailable with little or no regard for his own life? It’s so “Out There” that 99% of people run away in abject terror. Weird…

        1. If you make s life out of that, you’ll get shot or stabbed eventually. Have fun terrorizing people until then though.

  10. From the second to last paragraph of article “Tools come in handy when you have physical limitations (age, injuries, illness) but they shouldn’t be the first line of defense.” ~ From WORKING TOOLS OF AN ENTERED APPRENTICE “Man is a Tool-using Animal; weak in himself, and of small stature, he stands on a basis, at most for the flattest-soled, of some half-square foot, insecurely enough; has to straddle out his legs, lest the very wind supplant him. Feeblest of bipeds! Three quintals are a crushing load to him; the steer of the meadow tosses him aloft, like a waste rag. Nevertheless he can use tools, can devise tools; with these the granite mountain melts into light dust before him; he kneads glowing iron, as if it were soft paste; seas are his smooth highway, winds and fire his unwearying steeds. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.”
    http://www.sacred-texts.com/mas/syma/syma27.htm

  11. 5 miles in one hour is not a simple task. The Army PT test has a section that requires 2.5 miles to walked in less than thirty-something minutes. I tested this portion one time, and made 2.5 miles in 29 minutes, and it damn near broke me off. I do the 2 mile run for my PT test, and I finish that in about 14 minutes. That 2.5 mile walk killed me.

    1. I walk probably about two hours a day, five days a week for my daily commute. A trainer friend told me walking is completely different animal then running. Uses different physiology or something. But, when I walk home with a friend or co-worker who is coming over for dinner or drinks it nearly kills them. They get to the train station and are surprised I don’t have a car there. Just say “it is only a 20-25 min walk not far”. They are usually sweating by the end or just want to grab an Uber. Strange how the human body works. One would think that running would be more physically intense then walking, but it is just different for whatever reason.

      1. On a cool evening I can run 10 to 12 miles no problem, but i still get winded climbing a flight of stairs. Weird.

  12. He forgot some important skills like masturbating without porn.
    Or running game when electricity is off and all of PUA books have been flushed in the tsunami.
    What if your peacocking gear was lost to looters and your clothes were stolen too when you were in the shower? You need to know how to signal high value naked or wearing a loin cloth. It can be a bit difficult but it’s important for your genes’ survival.

  13. I somewhat disagree – the article does not discuss Situational Awareness at all, but rather physical skills that would have helped you survive.
    I disagree with almost all of the author points:
    1. Situational Awareness is mostly about recognizing potentially dangerous situations BEFORE they develop and avoiding them (ie a deserted street at night with a gang of thugs hanging around, someone following you, a drunk driver swerving in front of you). It does not really help when you’re hit by an earthquake/tsunami completely by surprise. May as well watch the sky for airplanes about to crash.
    2. Physical strength and speed are great, so is swimming, but the sea is always bigger and stronger than you. the notion that those people could have held their breath a few more seconds or swam against the current is ridiculous. That is like suggesting if you fell off a cliff, having strong quad muscles will help you soften the blow when you hit the ground. Nature is very strong and sometimes you are just fucked.

    1. ” It does not really help when you’re hit by an earthquake/tsunami completely by surprise. May as well watch the sky for airplanes about to crash.”
      Be situation aware enough to avoid earthquake zones and low lying areas like along the coast or of course islands that are particularly vulnerable to tsunami?

      1. There’s that and then there is enjoying life. I write this from an island off of the east coast. If a tsunami hits here, I will likely only make it if lucky. But the chances are ridiculously low. I’m not sitting on the beach saying, “is low tide a little lower than normal?” No, I’m enjoying myself.

  14. Perhaps running is physically more demanding but probably more efficient overall – higher miles/effort if you will. If true, wouldn’t it be better to commute using a light jog/run than walking the distance.

  15. I’ve seen plenty of vids of the Boxing Day tsunami. People that were standing on the beach as it came, and then RAN AWAY from it and up to the second floor while other morons just stood there and watched it come up and annihilate them.

  16. As a professional pilot, situational awareness is a matter of life or death on a daily basis. Since I took up this career, it amazes me the amount of men in the west who lack this basic instinct.

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