Our Mind’s Antivirus Programme: Situational Awareness (1)

The individual and society are in dire need of solid and effective watchtowers against aggressive elements waiting for a chance to enter through the defenceless borders of the subconscious. Gaining this understanding, working almost like an antivirus programme to detect swiftly every kind of manipulation and propaganda, whatever its colour, is of great importance. The reason is the reality that a mysterious realm that works automatically, like the subconscious, needs defence systems that likewise work automatically.

So, in an era rife with perception management and propaganda, how can we use the concept of situational awareness to be truly free and to make our own decisions?

It can be used across a wide spectrum, from noticing in time the possible dangers one may encounter while walking down the street and taking the necessary precautions, to sensing exposure to types of propaganda of different colours (black, white, grey) and activating defence mechanisms. For at its core the subject involves identifying risk through out-of-routine situations and reacting appropriately with rapid assessment.

First, it will be useful to mention the 5 levels of situational awareness. These are: The unprepared state, loose awareness, focused awareness, high alert and shock.

At the first and fifth levels there is no awareness. In the unprepared state, the mind makes no effort to assess what is happening around it. In shock, the situation has ceased to be a possibility and has become reality. So there is no situation requiring the individual to make a decision.

Let us try to bring these levels to life with an example:

1. You are sitting at home, drinking your tea while watching TV.  Your interest in your surroundings is next to nothing. This represents the first level (Unprepared State).
2. Then you hear a clicking sound outside and turn down the television. You stand up and try to work out where the sound is coming from. This is the second level (Loose Awareness).
3. In the following minutes you hear glass breaking and head towards the spot. Your heart beats faster and your body starts releasing adrenaline. You pick up a hard object in case it is needed (Focused Awareness).
4. You see the burglar running away through the garden and shout after him. You call for help from those around and tell your family to wait somewhere safe (High Alert).
5. Or, when you act on the sounds you hear, you come face to face with the burglar and freeze. Your brain functions shut down; you are now only a spectator watching the event from outside (Shock).

The most ideal mode of situational awareness to remain in during daily life is the second level. In this state the mind does not become exhausted from excessive tension and performs the function of a radar for possible dangers. At any moment of risk, awareness is raised gradually in line with the severity of the situation, or one moves directly to the required level of awareness. This should not be taken to mean shifting up gradually like the gears of a car. If conditions require, one can move directly from the second to the fourth level. From another angle, it is also possible that an individual in the unprepared state goes straight into shock in the face of suddenly unfolding events and is left out of the game.