Predators & Prey

“Awareness of your surroundings becomes even more vital as we approach old age.” I guess I’m getting old then… although I REFUSE to get old, I know I will and I will learn in the process to be more aware no matter what! Is it really old age that opens up our eyes to our surroundings and the corruptive and harmful ways of others? Or is it the true life threatening scenes we see on the news and witness around us. I don’t think age has a whole lot to do with it. Its common sense to our well being, I think. My thoughts and my opinion and we know what those are like, opinions that is, a dime a dozen.

Difficult economic times and the large amount of narcotics available today also lend themselves to this primitive interaction. There are three types of “lions” to contend with out on the street.

The first one being The Opportunist, basically a coward who will come in and strike only if the odds are heavily weighted in his favor and the right opportunity presents itself. This type is most likely to seek out another with whom they can pump up their courage prior to carrying out an attack.

The Stalker, the type of urban “lion” who enjoys the hunt but could be dissuaded if confronted by a sufficient show of force. For most of them, the thrill is in the chase, they play with their intended victim, convincing themselves that they are more clever than their intended target.

The True Predator, a proven hunter who’s developed a keen sense for the hunt and the kill because of the sense of power and the thrill. True Predators among us do it for the sheer pleasure it give them. True Predators will not let an opportunity pass them by. To do so would diminish their reputation as hunters in the eyes of their fellows. And a True Predator is merciless.

I have personally known of a few predators and stalkers in my days, not all killers, but true predators that get a kick out of having control over someone. Anyone remember the Richard Ramirez case in Los Angeles? He himself was something else! He fits the True Predator and the Stalker description… I grew up with the guy; Richard Ramirez is one year younger than me, hung out at my house with my brothers all through grade school up to high school before he moved away. He stood out, but no-one would ever imagine he would turn out to be a killer. Blows my mind away knowing I was going to his home to retrieve my brother(s) to come home for dinner and such.

This is why people carry! Because of men/women like this! Now when people ask me “Why would you want to carry a gun?” I can respond with this little tidbit… And "Can you possibly live with yourself knowing you killed or injured someone?" I can say very confidently “YES”, Keeping in mind the kind of anger some people carry within, with no thought or concern of who they are hurting or injuring and the lives they are affecting.

Once a person is helpless at his feet, theTrue Predator succumbs to a murderous rage which is quite beyond the capacity of a real lion. The human predator will drag his victim further into the apartment, tie him/her up to reassure themselves that he's in control, and then begin a barbaric game of cat and mouse, aimed at extracting the pin number to a bank card machine or the where-abouts of any hidden valuables.

Anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in this situation cannot afford to compromise with these people. The only thing you can do is keep your wits about you, try to remember a peculiar feature of your attacker - a tattoo or distinctive scar that will help police track them down and arrest them later. Take their anger away from them if you can and attempt to disarm them with an air of calm. These people feed on fear; it excites them. (Is that even possible, in such a case as Ramirez'? To take away their anger? Somehow I don't think so, given the opportunity, Ramirez should have been shot. My opinion, yet again.)

Ultimately, the key here is to survive the experience, doing whatever ti takes to stay alive. That's the critical thing. You have to live through the horror of the assault, no matter how brutal. But the ultimate goal of the potential victim is not to be selected as someone's target of choice in the first place.