by: Brent Smith at the Common Constitutionalist
Scroll Down for Audio Version
The following is a departure from my normal politically oriented articles, but I think with all the violence popping up everywhere in America, it’s more important than ever to understand and develop situational awareness. It can, quite literally, save your life and the lives of loved ones.
In the video below, Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine of SEALFIT explains the OODA Loop – Observation – Orientation – Decision – Action, and incorporates it into the Cooper Color System.
The OODA loop is a practiced mindset of constant situational awareness, and the ability to take swift and decisive action from the information collected from that awareness.
This is different from mere paranoia. Situational awareness is more like tactical observation. It’s more than just noticing that there are a bunch of people gathered across the street waiting to cross, or a blue van driving by. It’s more like “Where’s Waldo,” or “one of these things is not like the others.”
Practicing situational awareness can keep you or your loved ones from simply walking out into traffic or prevent you from entering a potentially dangerous or deadly situation or encounter, by merely avoiding it all together.
With practice, one will be able to pick out Waldo fairly quickly – like the guy wearing a trench coat in the middle of summer. And with practice, you’ll find there is almost never a Waldo to find – that everything is the way it’s supposed to be. read more