Home and
Travel
When we live in a relative state of comfort and security about ourselves, our property, and even our identity, we are living an empowered life free from fear.
Safety and security has understandably been in the forefront of many people’s minds recently and many people are more concerned with taking measures to protect themselves and their families.
There are two approaches to safety:
- defensive measures
- dynamic engagement
Defensive safety measures might include:
- locked gates
- fences
- motion activated security lights
Dynamic safety measures might include:
- neighborhood watch program
- asking neighbors to check on your house while you are away
These two approaches to safety roughly reflect how we feel about others around us. There are two basic groups of people that we can always place anybody into: “us” and “them”.
Other people in our lives can be grouped as “us” or “them”.
Grouping people into these two groups has direct implications on how we treat them - - people in the “us” group are dynamically engaged with each other; while we may feel the need to protect ourselves from those in the “other” group using defensive measures.
The problem with the defensive measures approach is that it usually only increases distance and separation thus fueling more alienation and more distrust.
Perhaps we could all be safe living under this situation, but what would our quality of life be like if we felt like we lived amongst strangers whom we distrusted?
The key to good security needs to be a balance between reasonable protective measures while also making attempts to draw more people into the “us” group. That is, always use multiple security measures to provide the best security.
Always use multiple security measures to provide the best
security.
There are several practical techniques for this:
- starting neighborhood watch programs
- block parent watch
- community policing
Other practical safety tips include:
For
the Internet
- Always use anti-virus software;
- Use a firewall;
- Use a good spy-ware detection and removal program;
- Use a password that would be hard to guess and change it once in a while;
- Keep the computer in a public space so that you can monitor what sites your children are visiting;
- Delete your internet browser’s cache often;
- Use a dedicated phone line for your computer and restrict it to local calls or disconnect the phone line to your modem when it is not in use;
- Back-up your system often.
For your Vehicle
- Lock your vehicle when it is unattended;
- Hide any valuables and/or lock them in the trunk;
- Use a device like the club, car alarm, or ignition “kill switch”;
- Do not leave personal information inside;
- Always carry a car emergency kit.
At Home
- Shred your personal documents before throwing them away;
- Leave a light or radio on at home when you’re gone for long periods;
- Asking neighbors to watch your house when you’re gone away for long periods;
- Install motion-lights to deter thieves;
- Install a home-security system.
Travel Safe
- Familiarize yourself with the laws and regulations of the country you will be visiting;
- Before you depart, check if any travel warnings or restrictions have been issued for the country you are visiting;
- Ensure that you have the proper vaccinations for the country you are visiting;
- Leave a copy of your passport with friends or family staying at home;
- Always be sure that someone knows your full travel plans;
- Call home every two or three days to check-in;
- When you arrive in a new country visit the nearest embassy to register with them;
- Leave cash, credit cards, your passport and other valuables locked in the hotel safe