Greg Ellifritz included an article I wrote ten years ago in this week’s edition of his Weekend Knowledge Dump. https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/weekend-knowledge-dump-november-15-2024 This afternoon, the concept was revisited for me as I went to lunch.

I walked to the neighborhood Burger King to use a coupon I had for lunch. As I rounded the corner of the building, a somewhat disreputable looking individual came into view. First red flag: he had one pants leg pulled up and tucked in a sock, which I always assume means some kind of affiliation, although now it may merely be stylistic. The more important red flag was that he was wearing a backpack that had a large black rod sticking out straight up behind his head. It looked very much like a weapon to me. I did a quick mental rehearsal and headed toward the door.

There was a bicycle and cup of ice cream by the door, which I assumed were his. He was standing off to the side, so I went in. After receiving my food, I sat where I could keep an eye on him. Shortly after I sat down, he had drawn the rod and was flipping it in the air. It appeared to be a piece of one inch electrical conduit about the size of a Baltimore POlice espantoon https://baltimorepolicemuseum.com/en/what-makes-an-espantoon-an-espantoon, i.e., 22 and 25 inches in length. One end was wrapped with what appeared to be electrical tape. That’s the end I had seen sticking up above his backpack.

Since he had his impact tool in hand, I decided I was not going to leave the place until he was gone. Fortunately, he shortly afterward got on his bicycle and took off. Since I was planning to take a walk after lunch, I went in the opposite direction when I left.

It was an interesting reminder of the concept of synchronicity. https://iaap.org/jung-analytical-psychology/short-articles-on-analytical-psychology/synchronicity-an-acausal-connecting-principle/

For those who would interested in the series about Awareness and Positioning, these are the links.

https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2014/06/25/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-i/

https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2014/07/06/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-ii-the-tueller-principle/

https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2014/10/16/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-iii/

https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2014/10/18/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-iv/

https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2015/04/01/situational-awareness-and-positioning-part-v/

In a related post, https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2016/08/05/practicing-awareness-part-iii/ I wrote:

“I don’t mind walking past low-lifes but it’s important to be mentally prepared to deal with them and fail the interview. Someone once said that I give my students permission to be rude; that’s totally true. There’s a difference between rude and mean, though. In my vernacular, being rude relates to enforcing my boundaries. Being mean is encroaching on someone else’s boundaries. That can set you up for trouble.”

Be aware but don’t be a jerk.