Personal Health and Safety - Essay Example

Full Personal Health and Safety (A Reflection Paper) 15 June (estimated word count 142) Personal Health and Safety Strengths – I consider myself as a security-conscious person but I still consider all in a personal relationship as to its value in terms of love, warmth, comfort and of course security which means I do not stay in a relationship that is abusive, threatening or coercive in nature. I think any rational person would do the same but many people I know are afraid of the severe consequences when they try to leave a relationship, especially if it is a long-standing one but in most cases, the dire consequences are more imagined and exaggerated than being real ones. Any actions that denigrate my dignity as a person would not be countenanced or tolerated by a person like me, as I consider myself self-assertive and aware always of my rights too. This attitude deters would-be abusers right from the start and I will not allow a relationship to just deteriorate into a one-way abusive type of undertaking where a person can control me. I consider being assertive, confident, knowledgeable and aware at all time of rights as personal strengths because it puts other people on notice that I cannot be trifled with. This is a vital component in any social interaction because to a great extent, people will act the way they do based on your reactions, so in this regard, I am careful not to transmit any signs of my weakness to anybody because they will think that I am vulnerable and can be manipulated. Further, I do not trust people easily, especially those whom I had just met and this is a principle I try to always follow at all times. I am not fond of walking alone in dark alleys or unlighted streets either as this may invite some opportunistic predators. I do not drive when I had a drink, nor do I allow my friends to drive either when they themselves had a drink. I am also security conscious when going on-line and normally does not give out personal details. Improvements – concerning my living conditions, I intend to be more aware of those happenings around my neighborhood. There are some events which I am not even aware of or had the slightest inkling about. My attitude is that if it does not directly concern me, then it is not my business to poke my nose into happenings, but now I realize they could have a bearing on my future. In this regard, I plan to go out more often and attend some neighborhood meets or events in which some issues are being discussed; if I cannot make some inputs towards the discussions, then at least I am aware of the latest news around my residence. My intended plan of action regarding my neighbors is to get to know them better and perhaps even contribute to the community efforts to improve our neighborhood environment. This will also allow me to get the latest bit of news regarding crime rates in our place because the high unemployment rates had maybe contributed to a rise in crime rates too. People who are out of work and desperate enough will do anything to survive and some resort to crimes. A course of action is to apply for some volunteer work with a non-government organization that will help the unemployed find meaningful work, even part-time work that will help to keep them away from a life of crime, since resorting to crime is an easy way out for them. I also intend to be more discriminating when selecting my friends. I can consider it a risk because right now, I am too trusting with some people who may have ulterior motives and in the process might take advantage of my trusting nature or exploit my vulnerabilities. This is a pre-emptive step or a precautionary measure on my part before anything untoward happens. When going out to parties, I will be more careful about the people who attend there. It includes not accepting drinks just from anyone who offers a drink or go out and leave with them just after a few minutes of casual talk, as I now realize it is a dangerous act on my part. I also need to be more careful when going on-line and in giving out the personally-identifiable information (PII) required of some Web sites which can appear to be legitimate but are not. Insights – I now realize that people bully and intimidate other people only if the same people allow these bullies to have their way. In other words, it pays to stand up for your rights and not let these people get away with their uncivilized or boorish behaviors. It means I need not put up with other people who are latently violent, either physically or verbally, as things could get out of hand if these people are allowed to continue with their behaviors, which tend to get worse over time, from verbal abuse to physical abuse (Evans 37). All it takes is some brave and tenacious person, which I hope I can also become in the future, to face down these abusive people. As the old adage says, there are no tyrants if there are no slaves. I certainly would like to be a Tammy Billups who can muster enough courage to intervene when she saw what was happening, although she admitted she was frightened herself (ABC News 4). Violence in a personal relationship can be prevented if the abused person is aware of what is happening and take immediate steps to correct those abusive actions of the partner or get out of the relationship rather than suffer in silence. Many women suffer in silence, as what the simulated private battle in a public place had shown, but many of them also do not know a way out can be had or how to improve their situations (Bancroft 2), to open the door and run. I intend to have a personal and loving relationship based on mutual respect and not have these unhealthy relationships for relationship's sake. One behavior change which I plan to take is to not take my personal safety for granted from now henceforth. A lot of bad things can happen to people because they do not take precautionary measures themselves, and most criminals in many cases act out of impulse because an opportunity to commit the crime was presented. An insight I got from all the lessons and readings from the past few weeks is to allow my courage to prevail in most situations that require it, but of course, not to be foolhardy if a situation calls for sobriety, calm, reason or group effort (ask someone for help). However, I no longer hesitate to render my assistance whenever I see another person in distress and help. Works Cited “Private Battles in Public Places.” Primetime. ABC News. New York City, NY, USA. Television. Also available 31 Dec. 2006. Web. 15 Jun. 2012. Bancroft, Lundy. Why Does He Do that? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men. New York, NY, USA: Penguin Books, 2003. Print. Evans, Patricia. The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to Recognize it and How to Respond. Cincinnati, OH, USA: F+W Media, Incorporated, 2010. Print. Read More