Love your cat picture, grapeshot!
Citizen:
If they really wanted to help people, they would figure out why people get their attention stuck on certain things, and figure out something a person could do to help him free his attention.
I can give you some ideas about this. People focus their attention on what is important to them. For most people, that is a very short list indeed. They always and everywhere CHOOSE what those things are.
Those who are willing and ready to free their attention for other things can do so. All it takes is some rational thinking and a little practice. Let me give you some background on how I came to understand this.
I spent 14 years as a visiting nurse in some of the worst areas of Southern California. I was not allowed, either by "law" or company policy to have as much as a fingernail file for self defense. ALL I had was my situational awareness. I developed almost a 6th sense for danger and avoided many dangerous incidents by listening to my guts - as well as watching everything around me carefully.
Some of the things I learned and continue to do today.
1. Learn about people (human nature), culture, body language and become truly observant of them. Some of this just has to come with experience, but much of it can be learned from other people and even books. Time sorts out what works from what does not, and you must practice this in every day life - not just when you go into a dangerous area.
2. Trust your instincts, your 'gut.' Cultivate it. When you come in contact with, or see a person you instinctively distrust or dislike, give some serious thought as to WHY? What can you think of that gave you that impression or signal? Clothing, body language, eye contact, what? Then consciously look for those things in other people. Many, if not most, will not be that obvious, but may still demonstrate some of the same characteristics. Learn to spot them quickly. Sure you might be wrong sometimes, but better safe than sorry. Trust should take time to develop.
3. Visualization exercises. Imagine every possible situation you can think of. Visualize what other people are doing, how they look, dress, move. Base this on the people you normally encounter during your day and leisure time. If you travel, it is even more important to include as many other people, cultures and situations as possible. If it helps, take notes and/or pictures when you travel.
Visualize your plan to meet or avoid any kind of threat you can imagine. Think up many different plans, moves, possible outcomes for each scene. Be creative. Mental practice like this has proven over and over to be nearly or as valuable as actual physical practice of the same things. You just need to cultivate your imagination and have an open mind. If you concentrate on only a few things or possible scenes, you lose the benefit.
In addition, talk such scenes over with trusted friends and compare notes. They might well think of things you do not... then you can each practice what you've learned.
4. When you are out and about, scan your surroundings and CHOOSE what you will see and think about. You have the absolute choice whether or not to talk on the phone, read newspaper headlines, drive in a fog, or anything else. If you are in the habit of consciously making this choice, you will overcome any temptation to zone out. Be very aware of deliberate attempts to distract you or involve you in some activity - such as the fake traffic accident. If you experience that sort of thing, only your previously practiced mental discipline will help you avoid getting sucked in and losing awareness of everything else around you.
5. Look for potential threats always, and match them the best you can to the plans from the mental practice scenes mentioned previously. If nothing matches, then remember it for future thought/practice. Have a plan (does not need to be complex) in mind for each potential threat. If the situation turns dangerous before you have a plan, then you won't probably have time to think of anything and will simply have to react. It is always better to act from a positive plan than to simply do the first thing that crosses your mind.
I teach armed self defense... and I am also a clinical psychologist.
From "I am NOT a shrink" MamaLiberty