“You cannot be prepared for everything, but you can be prepared for some things. You will not be attacked by ‘everything’ throughout your life. It will only come from some things. Make sure you identify those things well!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
Apex Predator?
Only when armed!
When matched against most North American wild apex predators (bears, wolves, mountain lions), even domestic pit bulls, humans are weak, vulnerable and not likely to escape, nor live through it.
Many this year naively hiking unarmed in our national parks are unhappily discovering this the hard way, and absurd myths about the likely effectiveness of “bear spray” and other “humane methods” of dissuading apex wild predators have left a grim trail of bloody fatalities!
And, the list of fatalities includes many “avid hunters,” “outdoorsmen,” “experienced hikers”
Absent from the list are “Operators”
In modern Western Civilization, hunting, hiking, camping, competitive shooting, and other “outdoor activities” represent quaint hobbies, avocations, diversions. They might be called a “lifestyle,” and are enjoyed by many.
“Operator” is not a lifestyle. It is a Way of Life, a permanent Profession.
When a “hunter” goes afield in rough wilderness without weapons, he becomes a two-legged game animal!
The foregoing may not be obvious to recreational hobbyists. By contrast, Operators are always appropriately armed with “serious weapons designed for hard use,” and in a high state of readiness, not mere “implements of recreation”
Either way, “alertness” and “awareness” are good, but they are useful only when they lead to sound decisions with regard to your personal safety!
Put differently, we can still perish when our minds are fully occupied with “awareness” Awareness, by itself, is not a countermeasure!
“Quick trips” and “proximity to safety” offer no discounts, and depending on “bear spray” and “jingle bells” to save your life is the province of fools, despite self-serving propaganda promulgated by “wildlife experts!”
As a lifelong Operator, I wish for an honorable death (old age) as I “fight the good fight” for as long as I can, but I prefer not dying for stupid reasons!
Yes, death comes for us all, yet let our deaths not be the result of self-deception, stupid choices, lack of preparedness.
“Stop preparing for ‘the end of the world’
Start preparing for the life you want to protect.”
AG Redwood
/John
