Walking alone in the dark?

[Electra]

Last night on the Eve of the full moon Eclipse,
we had the pleasure to walk through a national park in twilight,
I was thinking how I would love to do this more as there is something magical about walking in the forest at night time?

Being brought up told that walking near bushes, 'men will jump out and grab you', 'people will cry for help and try and grab you' , 'homosexuals go there to have sex and they will hurt you if you see'

let alone at night, alone was never an option

on the occasions I have been out at night alone, I have passed men but not ladies.

I was thinking every full moon (& new/ more), I will find a nice place to moon gaze alone.

See if I can shake some of this fear?

Part of me thinks this is reckless because of 'predators' but is this just programing?

what can we do to make it safe for Women to walk alone at night time?
how can we change the programing?

is it safe? do you?
as a Man do you feel safe?

 

[SomeRandom]

In all honesty I'm less concerned about gay people having sex in bushes killing me (seems a bit random either way, but whatever) than I am about a mentally disturbed individual (male or female) attacking me at night because there are no witnesses or because I'm an easy target.
You can change all of society if you like, you can increase mental health awareness, cold hard reality is, the world will never be 100% safe.
I would like to live in a reality where it is safe for a woman or man to walk alone in the park at night, with absolute certainty that nothing bad will happen. We can certainly try to eliminate as much of that element as possible.
A more open safe environment for treating or indeed monitoring people who may pose a threat to society, for whatever reason. Undermining the narrative that the victim (male or female) deserved whatever happened to them simply because they walked home alone at night or whatever. Apart from that

 

[Deidre]

I go running sometimes at night, and there are times it can be scary. I wrestle with not wanting to stop doing something that I enjoy vs being safe. Just have to be cautious.

 

[Curious George]

Last night on the Eve of the full moon Eclipse,
we had the pleasure to walk through a national park in twilight,
I was thinking how I would love to do this more as there is something magical about walking in the forest at night time?

Being brought up told that walking near bushes, 'men will jump out and grab you', 'people will cry for help and try and grab you' , 'homosexuals go there to have sex and they will hurt you if you see'

let alone at night, alone was never an option

on the occasions I have been out at night alone, I have passed men but not ladies.

I was thinking every full moon (& new/ more), I will find a nice place to moon gaze alone.

See if I can shake some of this fear?

Part of me thinks this is reckless because of 'predators' but is this just programing?

what can we do to make it safe for Women to walk alone at night time?
how can we change the programing?

is it safe? do you?
as a Man do you feel safe?

What can we do to make wimen feel safer: Change the dynamic of how we as a society regard women and what activities we encourage for girls.

How do we change the programming: How to do this is a million dollar question, but I believe analysis and understanding to be at the very least a step in the process.

Is it safe: Largely it is not high risk. It is safer if one is not fearful, it is safer still if one is not fearful and competent in defending her/his self. But the all risk can never be fully negated.

Do I: yes
Do I feel safe: Mostly, although I believe risk is ever present in our lives, I geel confident in address most potential risks that are present in walking at night. The risks however small that I am not confident in handling, are acceptable.

 

[Electra]

In all honesty I'm less concerned about gay people having sex in bushes killing me (seems a bit random either way, but whatever)

This is just what I was told when I was younger LOL just examples of what is told to those in an impressionable age. Actually my father still says this to me now ROFL

mmmmm nice answers my friend

 

[Electra]

I go running sometimes at night, and there are times it can be scary. I wrestle with not wanting to stop doing something that I enjoy vs being safe. Just have to be cautious.

Awesome.

 

[Electra]

What can we do to make wimen feel safer: Change the dynamic of how we as a society regard women and what activities we encourage for girls.

How do we change the programming: How to do this is a million dollar question, but I believe analysis and understanding to be at the very least a step in the process.

Is it safe: Largely it is not high risk. It is safer if one is not fearful, it is safer still if one is not fearful and competent in defending her/his self. But the all risk can never be fully negated.

Do I: yes
Do I feel safe: Mostly, although I believe risk is ever present in our lives, I geel confident in address most potential risks that are present in walking at night. The risks however small that I am not confident in handling, are acceptable.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!!!

(hehe)

 

[Electra]

i agree with you completely. i have never read such an great post in my entire life before.

this made me smile real real big

times are a changing

 

[SomeRandom]

This is just what I was told when I was younger LOL just examples of what is told to those in an impressionable age. Actually my father still says this to me now ROFL

mmmmm nice answers my friend

I suppose. As a kid I was convinced that there were kid eating monsters hiding in bushes. Not helped by the fact that everyone older at the time would not correct this assessment lol

 

[Electra]

I suppose. As a kid I was convinced that there were kid eating monsters hiding in bushes. Not helped by the fact that everyone older at the time would not correct this assessment lol

aw cutie,

mmm... we each have own agenda I guess

 

[Polymath257]

As a man, I do not always feel safe walking alone at night in a secluded area.

It sucks, but that is a fact.

I try to minimize the risks, be aware of my environment, and have an escape strategy.

I am a big guy, but a 'predator' with a gun can take me down.

 

[Shiranui117]

Last night on the Eve of the full moon Eclipse,
we had the pleasure to walk through a national park in twilight,
I was thinking how I would love to do this more as there is something magical about walking in the forest at night time?

Being brought up told that walking near bushes, 'men will jump out and grab you', 'people will cry for help and try and grab you' , 'homosexuals go there to have sex and they will hurt you if you see'

let alone at night, alone was never an option

on the occasions I have been out at night alone, I have passed men but not ladies.

I was thinking every full moon (& new/ more), I will find a nice place to moon gaze alone.

See if I can shake some of this fear?

Part of me thinks this is reckless because of 'predators' but is this just programing?

what can we do to make it safe for Women to walk alone at night time?
how can we change the programing?

is it safe? do you?
as a Man do you feel safe?

For my part at night, I always carry a high-lumen flashlight (both to light my way if there is insufficient lighting and to temporarily blind an attacker long enough to get away) and a multi-purpose knife handy, which is as useful for opening beer bottles, providing a firestarter in case of emergencies, smashing out a car window and cutting a seatbelt in case of a bad car wreck as it is for self-defense where I would otherwise have absolutely no opportunity to escape a conflict.

Sadly, in the US we just do not live in a safe country, and the only thing we can do is be prepared and be vigilant.

 

[Tomyris]

When I lived in a very small, half-abandoned village in Rhode Island, we'd walk along the railroad tracks (on a road paralleling them) for safety.. It was a very rural space in South County.... We would carry old-style kerosene lanterns. I never once felt concerned except for a single time in two years, though I did carry a bearclaw, a legal knife shaped like a bear's claw, just in case. I think that single time, there was someone wandering around in the woods, perhaps drunk. We moved on, and he didn't follow, and that was that.

 

[Meow Mix]

I have a disability that makes this especially unsafe (I'm functionally aphonic. Basically, no screaming for help -- not that that always helps anyway). I don't get out at night a lot unless I'm with a lot of people and I don't stray even if it "feels" safe. It takes 10 seconds for things to suddenly become NOT safe.