Growing up in the inner city of Chicago’s southside, I do not remember crime being as extreme as it has been over the past couple of decades. Mama being a mother, instinctively taught my sister and me to be aware of our surroundings at all times.
Mama remembers first mentioning this quote when she was teaching me a new level of responsibility. She gave me a copy of the house key since I would start walking home from school with my sister. Mama handed me the keys with a lesson, “Be aware of your surroundings Jaquay. You never know who is watching you.” She repeated it a few more times. Perplexed, I asked her why she kept repeating the same thing.
“People watch others for different reasons and in this case, you and your sister are young girls walking without an adult. I want you to be extra cautious to make sure you are aware that someone could be watching you and see you have a routine, so mix up your walking route. This will help you not be predictable.” I needed to be aware of my surroundings in this instance to guard myself against those who didn’t mean me any good. Walking home from school I took this to heart. I would always look behind me, across the street, or even ahead of me. I still watch my surroundings to this day.
Some may think watching my surroundings as an adult could be a form of paranoia, but it’s more about situational awareness. A few definitions of situation/situational awareness are:
OHSHA’s definition
situational awareness - Knowing what is going on all around you by having the ability to:
Identify
Process
Comprehend
Respond to
…critical elements of information regarding the environment in which you
are located.
APA Dictionary of Psychology
situation awareness - conscious knowledge of the immediate environment and the events that are occurring in it. Situation awareness involves perception of the elements in the environment, comprehension of what they mean and how they relate to one another, and projection of their future states.
No matter what a person’s age, we all should be aware of our surroundings. In 2022, the U.S. missing persons are recorded as:
Under 21
over 206,000 missing females
over 172,000 missing males
21 and Over
over 64,000 missing females
over 102,000 missing males
Unfortunately, the world we live in is not safe, and over the years I began to fully understand what my mama was teaching me in that moment of responsibility. The missing person’s data is just one reference that could be related to being unaware of our atmosphere. Have you ever been distracted by your mobile device while walking and almost walked into something or someone?
Being aware of our environment in our neighborhoods, at work, driving around, at the gym, at the grocery store, etc. can be beneficial to our safety. We can also share this insight with the younger generation for their well-being when they are at the playground, at school, walking to/from a destination, out with friends, etc. Let’s stay vigilant and help our young ones do the same.
How do you think instilling awareness of their surroundings in our children could lower the amber alerts?
Comment below or email me, I would love to know your thoughts.
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What is situational awareness? decision ... (n.d.). https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/2018-12/fy15_sh-27666-sh5_SituationalAwareness.pptx
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Apa Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association. https://dictionary.apa.org/situation-awareness
Korhonen, V. (2024, July 5). Number of missing persons files in the U.S. by age and gender 2022. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/240387/number-of-missing-persons-files-in-the-us-by-age/
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