The principle of situational awareness is taken to a deeper level in the book Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life. Written for the US Marine Corps, the concept is just as applicable for everyone to apply for civilian self-defense against personal threats.
[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of being Aware ]
We encourage you to read the entire book and visit its website. In the meantime, here are a few lessons from it:
Col. Jeff Cooper, creator of the “Color Code” that sharpens a person’s situational awareness, is also the author of the booklet, Principles of Personal Defense, in which he describes 7 characteristics a person should strengthen in themselves to best be able to ward off a violent attack. They’re primarily technique-oriented.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law ]
SemperVerus® has added the component of biblical insight as a foundation to each principle, in keeping with the understanding that Scripture inherently supports the right of self-defense as presented in the booklet, The Case for Biblical Self-Defense.
1. ALERTNESS — “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
2. DECISIVENESS — “An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8 (HCSB)
3. AGGRESSIVENESS — “Be angry and sin not.” Ephesians 4:26 (KJV)
4. SPEED — “With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong.” Amos 5:9 (NLT)
5. COOLNESS — “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
6. RUTHLESSNESS — “Hate what is evil.” Romans 12:9 (NIV)
7. SURPRISE — “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 (NIV)
Read in full the booklet, Principles of Personal Defense.
Invite SemperVerus® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.
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Thinking that you have an answer for everything may be evidence that you’re part of the problem.
Asking intelligent, probing questions is among the foundation characteristics of effective leadership. By observing current conditions and asking “what if…” and “why not…,” your thinking is expanded, your horizons are opened, and you generate better solutions to solve intricate challenges. That’s true both professionally as well as personally (self-assessment). Asking questions moves you out of the judgmental, status-quo realm into the learning, improvement realm.
The following is a partial list from ZeroHedge.com of suggested questions to ask yourself to assist you in creating a working inventory of mind, body, and equipment for living in dangerous or uncertain times. SemperVerus has added questions for soul development.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun ]
As a way of encouraging universal firearm safety, Col. Cooper also advocated a simple 4-point set of rules anyone can understand: