I am sorry to define one of Humanity's hallowed institutions in such stark terms, but when you honestly compare the two seemingly disparate environments, the likeness is undeniable.
Let's take the recent tragic events in Barcelona, where 14 people were killed and over a hundred injured in a "mowing" attack, which took place in broad daylight in that city's iconic Ramblas shopping area.
In case you missed this "all to familiar" story: A van, driven by an as yet unidentified assailant, drove down the iconic Ramblas shopping area in Barcelona at a high rate of speed, weaving from side to side in an effort to run over as many pedestrians as possible. In a separate, but probably coordinated attack, two police officers were also struck in a different area on the same day. They were both killed. The total now stands at 14, which may increase if some of the many critically injured expire in the hospital.
I was just there three weeks earlier. Vacationing in Spain, as so many do from across the globe, I found the city at once charming and chaotic. I have a natural fear of crowds and congested areas. And for someone like me, a place like Barcelona's city center is a cluster of unsettling sights and sounds. An odd man who looks at you a little too long, or a car that drives erratically, etc. Though those in my midst seemed blissfully ignorant of any perceived warp in the natural order of things, my defense mechanisms were on high alert. Perhaps that is what caused me to make the observation when I was there, that Las Ramblas would make a perfect target for a radicalized extremest to conduct a car attack.
Las Ramblas is like a broad sidewalk or median strip. On either side of that pedestrian area is a two lane road that provides access for commercial vehicles to make deliveries or commuters to avoid even busier streets elsewhere.
As you can see, on any given day, there are hundreds of persons densely packed, milling around, each lost in their own unique world of shopping, architectural wonder and people watching. Cars and trucks whiz by only feet away, without even a curb to separate them from the throng.
On the day I was there, I also was snapping pictures of the charming architectural wonders that line the entire district. But I couldn't shake the notion that we were like sitting ducks in that funnel of humanity. Right in the cross-hairs of a errant vehicle that might leave the road either intentionally or by virtue of having lost control. I kept looking behind me, scanning my surroundings in every direction, looking for anything out of place.
And though Spain is not unique in this regard, pick-pockets abound. Distracted shoppers, flush with cash represent a business opportunity for clans of criminals that steel from tourists with the finesse of a surgeon. Men with wallets in their back pocket or women with purses dangling by their shoulders present low-hanging fruit to these scammers, who have elevated this type of personal attack to an art form. Often, the victim has no idea they were robbed until they reach for their wallet or pocketbook and find it missing. We met half a dozen couples who were assaulted in this way, turning what was supposed to be their relaxing vacation into a mind-jarring nightmare of having been violated.
It was only after returning home, that I began to process the whole experience. Then upon hearing the tragic news that my fear was indeed prescient, I realized, we can only become victims of this ubiquitous threat if we continue to be complacent about the reality of our cities. They have become the new Savana, where we, like pack animals roam to feed, engage in mating rituals, recreate and relax and where we may become at any time, the victim of a predatory act.
It has often been stated, that there is safety in numbers. It is this philosophy that has allowed people to feel at ease in crowds. But this once wise strategy has been turned on its head, suddenly, it is crowds that are targeted.
Unlike grazing bison or elephants, facing outward to protect the young and weak from a carousing wolf pack or snarling lion, there is no defense against a 3 ton hunk of hot metal careening into a crowd at 60 miles an hour. This is not the case of one or even several hungry predators seeking vulnerable individuals to feed their young or satisfy their own hunger: that is almost honorable and even understandable by comparison with the senseless bloodshed sought and promulgated by the vermin that live in our midst.
In some ways, a prey animal on the Savana has more warning and opportunity to escape. A lion will always look like a lion. Four legged predators cannot don a disguise. The best they can do is skulk in the tall grass and hope that their outline or their scent is not detected by their intended victim. But human predators look for the most part like you and me. It could be your neighbor, a person delivering a package, a customer in a pizza joint. No stranger is completely beyond suspicion and therefore, unfortunately, everyone must be considered a potential threat.
I know, I know, you say, this is no way to live. But I say, This is how you will continue to live. The bubble you have presumed is your protection, has suddenly become your prison of ignorance.
What to do:
A. Avoid cities whenever possible. I know this sounds ridiculous, but over the last century, there has been a disapora of humanity streaming from rural areas across the globe, to densely populated cities, in search of opportunities, jobs, social activities, whatever. This has spurred tremendous economic growth, technological advancements and many things that are positive for our society. But it has also made us all more vulnerable then ever. Terrorists who seek to wage cowardly attacks en masse, find easy pickins in our crowded cities, where inhabitants and visitors alike, must become inured to loud noises, odd looking people or other potential signs of danger.
B. If you live in or must go to a city.... shopping mall, concert hall or other crowded venues, make a point to familiarize yourself with the exits, first and foremost. Ask yourself, "If I had to escape this place in a hurry, maybe in the dark, how would I do it"? If you're in a group, take a moment to agree on that plan of action and where you'll meet if the unthinkable happens.
C. Watch everything. Imagine yourself a gazelle on the Savana, because, increasingly, that is how you're seen by a growing nefarious element in our society. Know that danger can emerge from any and every direction and as you're supposed to when you're driving, scan near and far, looking for anything out of place. Do not a lulled into a state of complacency or allow your attention be diverted for more than a second. Make awareness of your environment a supreme priority anywhere and everywhere you travel.
Ask yourself: How is it that a 3 ton van could be barreling down a pedestrian breezeway, roaring and rattling, mowing down and obliterating everything in its path and still be undetected by so many soon to become its next victims? It seems incomprehensible, but that is exactly what happened.
Remember, there is no longer safety in numbers. There is now only safety in personal and perpetual vigilance.
-Shane Eric Mathias
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