Situational Awareness

SA as we called it in the Navy.  As a pilot, SA ranged from the status of the aircraft systems to a visual scan outside for traffic to our current and projected geographical/navigation location.  Working on the flight deck of a carrier, it meant knowing what planes were turning, watching out for the ones that were going to start moving, and definitely being conscious of where you were on the deck (look out for those foul lines!)

But what does SA mean in everyday life?  And what's it all about?  Having situational awareness means being conscious of all aspects of your surroundings, environment, and of your personal existence, including your health, gear, and physical intersection with that environment. Having good SA results in not being caught by surprise.  I apply SA in all aspects of my life, with what I think are good results.

For instance, just by having good SA on the gas gauge in your car means you will never run out of gas. Knowing you have kept up with oil changes and other routine maintenance means you are not worried about your car breaking down.  SA is very important when driving (ie, defensive driving).  I'm always watching out for the other guy, and assuming he won't do what I think he will do.  Thus I have only been in one accident in 30 years of driving.  My SA paid off in that case because when that guy started to turn across in front of me I was not reduced slamming on the brakes and t-boning him. I actually downshifted and sped up, and almost got by him - he slammed into my rear wheel.  (I had no lateral options). 

Good SA is one of the best skills you can develop and should be used all the time.  To me having SA in a public situation means a good defense because I am ready for offense.  I'm watching out for the trouble maker, so I can avoid him if possible.  If something does happen, I now have options to choose from, rather than just reacting and handing the bad guy the initiative.  Options can range from escape routes to defensive barriers to weapons to immediate action strikes.

Being someone who is 'prepared' is a result of good SA on society as a whole, in a sense.  Obviously you should be prepared no matter what the social climate is, because in the end you never truly know what is going to happen.  But by just having that SA on society, whether it is local crime rates or the coming Euro implosion, you now have some more information with which to prepare.  That info might only be driving you to prepare, or it can focus your preparations (such as hurricane season).  Believe me, just having some SA on the world around you puts you ahead of probably 75% of your fellow countrymen.  They only have SA on the Kardashians or Justin Bieber: alot of good that will do them when TSHTF.

Keep that scan going, from the world news to your local news, from the status of your preparedness to what's going on in your neighborhood.  You'll be one step ahead of everyone else when something does happen.