There are many instances where people go to a dark place in their life. Depending on how they deal with it can make things get out of hand. If you go to any news site and look up school threats, chances are you will find a hand full of stories. While this is unfortunate, it is not something to blow off. Whether it be a threat, or an actual action, it should be taken seriously. With this day and age, you never really know what to expect out of people. There are plenty of medication, drugs and alcohol that can change someone's way of thinking or their actions.
If it comes to the point where you feel like someone is making a serious threat, there are plenty of actions and precautions to take. First off, assess the situation. If you know the person is in a dark place, or wouldn't joke about it, you need to tell an adult. Whether this be a parent or a teacher or even someone you are close to. They can then take further steps that will be taken more serious than if it were coming from someone in school years. If you are the adult that is being told, then you should think about what you just heard and act upon whether you find it serious, or even plausible. If you do, then it is time to take it to a higher authority.
These authorities can be an administrator at your school, your boss, or even the police. In the end, chances are that the police will be contacted anyways. The next step for you would be to step back, stay calm, and let the big shots handle the situation properly.
Well, what happens if it is too late and the person acts before the police are involved? Depending on the place you are in, there are multiple things you can do. If you are in a school, you should have safety procedures that you went through at the beginning of the year. Act upon those as long as it is still a safe option. If you are in a public place, then your best bet is to run to a place you know you will be safe and use your cellphone if you have one on you. If not, run to a room with little windows and lock the door as well as block it. This will make it harder for the offender to get any closer to harming you. If the room has a phone in it, call the police and tell them your location and situation. They should be there within an matter of minutes with help and backup. Stay there until you are alerted by the police that it is safe to come out.
With that said, make sure that you are not listening for just anyone's voice to tell you that it is safe. Make sure it is communicated by trusted ways. If you are in your safe spot for more than a couple of hours, chances are it is safe and you should be able to hear any more commotion. If all sounds clear, then you can silently make your way to a public place and make sure the situation is for sure over with.
As someone who tends to put others before myself, I would be sitting there thinking, well what about the other people around me? How can I help my friends? It is the same as if you were on an airplane and the oxygen masks came flying down. Assure yourself that you can help yourself and be safe before you worry about others. If you are in a situation where you can keep safe while protecting others, then please, go right ahead. The only exception I can think of is when you are already liable for other lives than your own. This goes for teachers, school officials, and parents. If you have children with you, I encourage you to protect them first. It is a heroic action and will end up making the lives of many people.
The thought of any kind of threat is scary, whether it is carried through or not. However, you have to stay calm and assess the situation appropriately. There is a definite difference between a rumor and a threat you should be worried about. But keep in mind, rumor or not, you should always take it seriously and not take it as a joke.
Under serious consideration
~Hangin' from a clothesline
No comments:
Post a Comment