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I wonder if people who consciously practice being more situationally aware, who went through some training (or are just naturally able to handle more thoughts a

I wonder if people who consciously practice being more situationally aware, who went through some training (or are just naturally able to handle more thoughts and inputs at once) sometimes look at people on the street, lazily walking through an intersection slowly while staring at their phone, or just ambling through life unawares and think: wow, a lot of people are lucky to not be evolutionarily selected out each day. I think you start to wonder, how do many people in this world get through life sleepwalking? Not to say that this awareness = "superior", of course, many people have different talents and being situationally aware is just one such thing. And for some, not being situationally aware is necessary to allow some less tangible benefits to appear (creativity, relaxation to enable free thought, intangible problem solving, etc). Hopefully such people, by the way, have other people looking out for them. But sometimes, you wonder -- person XYZ on the street, neither paying attention, nor having someone who looks out for you as you talk your head off unawares and self-absorbed... What world do you live in?

lamontcg 5y ago
Yeah I cave dive as a hobby and the lack of situational awareness on and around our roads is abysmal.
- bluGill 5y ago
  Whats worse is knowing that I've done some things and realized I'm not better. Sure I sometimes use situational awareness and avoid an accident. However other times I do something stupid and only because someone else used situational awareness did we avoid an accident. Most people write the latter off as a rare thing, but I've recently had the insight it all balances out and humans are all equally bad at driving. Which is why I'm careful to leave 3 seconds between me and the car in front no matter how many people fill the gap - I need all the help I can get to stay safe and I don't care how much slower it makes me.
  - lamontcg 5y ago
    That latter thing is also situational awareness. You're aware of your own limitations and are actively managing in order to drive within them. You'll note that a lot of other people ride the bumper of the car in front of them sometimes getting within 10 feet. They aren't aware of their own limitations. You actually are better than those other drivers, even if you're not situationally flawless. There's a lot in that manual about the "soldier" understanding their own limitations. And lot of people drive around thinking that if they open up that much space they'll get cut off so much they'll never get to their destination. Don't know if there's a bit in here about harboring delusions about reality.
graderjs 5y ago
> (creativity, relaxation to enable free thought, intangible problem solving, etc) I think ASA is not exclusively focused on outer awareness. I think there's a significant component of awareness of yourself (strengths, emotions, thoughts) that's part of it, and associated with resilience etc. I also don't think that situational awareness, inner or outer, is exclusive with creativity, relaxation, free thought, intangible problem solving. I think what you're missing here is that the "concrete outer world" can also be manipulated and conceived abstractly at a very high level. I think the "head in the clouds" creative is a stereotype, and exists, but is not representative, and is not a majority one, and there's plenty of super aware people who are also super creative. Me included. Also I think maybe many of those people who "shut away" in the inner (or phone?) world, can probably handle many inputs and thoughts, but it's a case of where they choose to put their attention. Surely there are some who deliberately isolate their senses in this way, because they are so very sensitive, and just haven't learned how to comfortable utilize it, or perhaps just not yet.
quercusa 5y ago
In good military fashion, Jeff Cooper (Lt. Col,USMC) developed a color code for situational awareness with respect to the possibility of conflict/combat. White: unprepared / Yellow: Relaxed alert / Orange: Specific alert / Red: Fight Most people stay in Condition White. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper#Combat_mindset_and_the_Cooper_color_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper#Combat_mindset_and...
jimmygrapes 5y ago
Absolutely. I'm a naturally anxious person which translates into observing the situation as much as possible before interacting, and I also have significant training in the OP material. Sometimes (often) this is a hindrance to enjoyment. I have to practice a lot of mindfulness to not get unreasonably upset/concerned at some behaviors. The number one behavior that upsets me is in grocery stores: people who do not realize that their shopping cart placement is causing a noticeable blockade and others are squeaking by or (im)patiently waiting for them to move, or avoiding the aisle entirely. This is not restricted to any type of person either; just today I witnessed a young man in scrubs park his cart sideways in the center bread aisle, halfway through turning around, and then abandon it to walk to the aisle cap to grab something (which he analyzed for some time before deciding upon taking). My mom used to do this same thing and it always bothered me, except now I view it as not just an annoyance but an evacuation and movement hazard. The other one that bugs me is when I see people stopping at an entrance/top of escalator/exit of elevator or similar choke point. Please, I know it's overwhelming to decide what to do/where to go next, but be aware of your immediate surroundings and move to the side as you figure out the rest.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

lamontcg 5y ago

Yeah I cave dive as a hobby and the lack of situational awareness on and around our roads is abysmal.

bluGill 5y ago
Whats worse is knowing that I've done some things and realized I'm not better. Sure I sometimes use situational awareness and avoid an accident. However other times I do something stupid and only because someone else used situational awareness did we avoid an accident. Most people write the latter off as a rare thing, but I've recently had the insight it all balances out and humans are all equally bad at driving. Which is why I'm careful to leave 3 seconds between me and the car in front no matter how many people fill the gap - I need all the help I can get to stay safe and I don't care how much slower it makes me.
- lamontcg 5y ago
  That latter thing is also situational awareness. You're aware of your own limitations and are actively managing in order to drive within them. You'll note that a lot of other people ride the bumper of the car in front of them sometimes getting within 10 feet. They aren't aware of their own limitations. You actually are better than those other drivers, even if you're not situationally flawless. There's a lot in that manual about the "soldier" understanding their own limitations. And lot of people drive around thinking that if they open up that much space they'll get cut off so much they'll never get to their destination. Don't know if there's a bit in here about harboring delusions about reality.

graderjs 5y ago

> (creativity, relaxation to enable free thought, intangible problem solving, etc) I think ASA is not exclusively focused on outer awareness. I think there's a significant component of awareness of yourself (strengths, emotions, thoughts) that's part of it, and associated with resilience etc. I also don't think that situational awareness, inner or outer, is exclusive with creativity, relaxation, free thought, intangible problem solving. I think what you're missing here is that the "concrete outer world" can also be manipulated and conceived abstractly at a very high level. I think the "head in the clouds" creative is a stereotype, and exists, but is not representative, and is not a majority one, and there's plenty of super aware people who are also super creative. Me included. Also I think maybe many of those people who "shut away" in the inner (or phone?) world, can probably handle many inputs and thoughts, but it's a case of where they choose to put their attention. Surely there are some who deliberately isolate their senses in this way, because they are so very sensitive, and just haven't learned how to comfortable utilize it, or perhaps just not yet.

quercusa 5y ago

In good military fashion, Jeff Cooper (Lt. Col,USMC) developed a color code for situational awareness with respect to the possibility of conflict/combat. White: unprepared / Yellow: Relaxed alert / Orange: Specific alert / Red: Fight Most people stay in Condition White. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper#Combat_mindset_and_the_Cooper_color_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper#Combat_mindset_and...

jimmygrapes 5y ago

Absolutely. I'm a naturally anxious person which translates into observing the situation as much as possible before interacting, and I also have significant training in the OP material. Sometimes (often) this is a hindrance to enjoyment. I have to practice a lot of mindfulness to not get unreasonably upset/concerned at some behaviors. The number one behavior that upsets me is in grocery stores: people who do not realize that their shopping cart placement is causing a noticeable blockade and others are squeaking by or (im)patiently waiting for them to move, or avoiding the aisle entirely. This is not restricted to any type of person either; just today I witnessed a young man in scrubs park his cart sideways in the center bread aisle, halfway through turning around, and then abandon it to walk to the aisle cap to grab something (which he analyzed for some time before deciding upon taking). My mom used to do this same thing and it always bothered me, except now I view it as not just an annoyance but an evacuation and movement hazard. The other one that bugs me is when I see people stopping at an entrance/top of escalator/exit of elevator or similar choke point. Please, I know it's overwhelming to decide what to do/where to go next, but be aware of your immediate surroundings and move to the side as you figure out the rest.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]