Last Christmas, a friend of mines mother and I were discussing books that we had recently read as I was trying to find a new read for myself.She struck up the discussion on The Gift of Fear, one of her recent reads.I remember her telling me the book was about all of these past case studies of violent crimes and how the people (mostly women) involved [as victims] were able to use their sixth sense to get out of or avoid the situations altogether.It sounded really interesting and I was really excited to make my way to the nearest book store to pick up a copy.The Gift of Fear, a non-fiction best seller written by Gavin de Becker, was published in 1997 and since then has gained audiences young and old all over the world.De Becker, a security specialist who has worked for major organizations including the United States Supreme Court Police, the United States Marshals Service, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency uses his years of study and analysis on violent crimes to point out warning signs and self-defense mechanisms that we have instilled within us.The book itself outlines a variety of situations in which we may find ourselves in at any given point of our lives; the walk home alone; the firing of an employee; the stranger in the elevator.De Becker discusses the impact that our own intuition has on us to predict whether or not these types of situations could in fact turn violent.It s interesting to see, as de Becker points out, that in our adult lives, we have the same intuitive behaviors as a child or a senior citizen but as adults, we try to rationalize with ourselves, talk ourselves out of scared thoughts and feelings, and convince ourselves that we live in a world where violent crimes couldn't actually happen to us.De Becker discusses this in great detail in his book and also goes into depth about what to do in situations where you didn't listen to your intuition and how to get out of potentially life threatening scenarios.It s a fascinating and sobering examination of an extremely important but easily and often ignored margin of life.I think the most interesting thing that de Becker points out is that we all have the ability to commit violent crimes so by taking a look at ourselves, and trying to empathize with the bad guy, we can better predict the outcome of the situation and how to best handle it on the spot.He points out that empathy is somewhat key to survival first; other steps then follow.I highly recommend this book for its interesting content and easy to read style.Additionally, it s won several awards and been endorsed by both Amazon and Oprah as great reads and excellent pieces to add to any self-defense collection.It will surely leave you feeling stronger, safer, and more confident to deal with many potentially threatening situations.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
The Gift Of Fear by Gavin De Becker
Last Christmas, a friend of mines mother and I were discussing books that we had recently read as I was trying to find a new read for myself.She struck up the discussion on The Gift of Fear, one of her recent reads.I remember her telling me the book was about all of these past case studies of violent crimes and how the people (mostly women) involved [as victims] were able to use their sixth sense to get out of or avoid the situations altogether.It sounded really interesting and I was really excited to make my way to the nearest book store to pick up a copy.The Gift of Fear, a non-fiction best seller written by Gavin de Becker, was published in 1997 and since then has gained audiences young and old all over the world.De Becker, a security specialist who has worked for major organizations including the United States Supreme Court Police, the United States Marshals Service, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency uses his years of study and analysis on violent crimes to point out warning signs and self-defense mechanisms that we have instilled within us.The book itself outlines a variety of situations in which we may find ourselves in at any given point of our lives; the walk home alone; the firing of an employee; the stranger in the elevator.De Becker discusses the impact that our own intuition has on us to predict whether or not these types of situations could in fact turn violent.It s interesting to see, as de Becker points out, that in our adult lives, we have the same intuitive behaviors as a child or a senior citizen but as adults, we try to rationalize with ourselves, talk ourselves out of scared thoughts and feelings, and convince ourselves that we live in a world where violent crimes couldn't actually happen to us.De Becker discusses this in great detail in his book and also goes into depth about what to do in situations where you didn't listen to your intuition and how to get out of potentially life threatening scenarios.It s a fascinating and sobering examination of an extremely important but easily and often ignored margin of life.I think the most interesting thing that de Becker points out is that we all have the ability to commit violent crimes so by taking a look at ourselves, and trying to empathize with the bad guy, we can better predict the outcome of the situation and how to best handle it on the spot.He points out that empathy is somewhat key to survival first; other steps then follow.I highly recommend this book for its interesting content and easy to read style.Additionally, it s won several awards and been endorsed by both Amazon and Oprah as great reads and excellent pieces to add to any self-defense collection.It will surely leave you feeling stronger, safer, and more confident to deal with many potentially threatening situations.
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