While we live in a rural area where targeted crime is rare, it isn't unheard of. Most of us routinely travel to larger urban areas where crime rates are definitively higher. Carjackings, armed robberies, and other related crimes happen daily.
You'll find solutions ranging from those who simply turn a blind eye to it, all the way to the inflated macho types who swear they welcome the trouble. Neither option is the correct answer.
The obvious answer is to carry lethal protection and be well trained to put it to use when no other option is available. But with that being said, the smarter play, and the correct one, is to avoid as much trouble as possible before any physical action is ever needed.
The high-IQ choice is to present yourself in such a manner that a would-be criminal chooses a different target. Make choices that make you a target worth avoiding. Develop good survival instincts and turn them into habits.
Don't make that shady gas station with a steady crowd of questionable characters your late night fuel stop. Stick to public, well-lit places. Avoid a confrontation with the guy in Kroger who wounded your pride by getting the last pack of bratwurst just as you reached for it. Carry yourself in such a way that you don't appear to be the weakest prey among the herd.
Don't get lost in your phone and miss the goon lurking near your car as you leave the pharmacy. Don't walk into the local general store with your hands full and your head hanging low. Keep your head up and your go to hand open for business. Present yourself as competent and walk with a sense of purpose.
How you carry yourself may well be the difference between a thug setting his sights on you or moving along to a perceived easier target.
No single action you take will magically prevent trouble from finding its way to your doorstep, but a series of purposeful choices can greatly reduce the chances. Criminals, generally by definition, are looking to gain something without putting forth the effort required to earn it. By that same measure, many criminals will pass on the hard work target and shift their focus to easier pickings.
Coming across like a movie character commando isn't required. You don't have to swagger around looking for trouble or act like you're itching for a fight. Just be on your game enough to either avoid trouble or make trouble avoid you.
Don't be the weakest link when the chain is tested.
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