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"The female of the species is more deadly than the male..."

In the last few years, we have seen an incredible amount of violence, terrorist activity, and inhumanity. People who claim that their people are a peaceful people are committing acts of violence and hurt that this world has not seen since the Spanish inquisition. People are trying to kill off other people who are of a different race or a different religion or just plain different. It can be said that these people are "defending their faith". How is it then, that an individual can become violent with no stimulation from a group? What is "going postal?"

A man walks into an Amish school and kills the children. Kids come to school and shoot dozens of children and kill school teachers. A man who has worked at a particular place of employment for over 20 years, gets downsized, and comes in and shoots everyone that he can. How do we recognize that a person is in danger of being violent? What can be done to stop the violence before it happens? What are the warning signs we have learned from the past and how do we apply them to everyday living?

In speaking about the female being more deadly, it is really in defense of her children, her family. It is a rare thing for a woman to walk into a random building and start shooting, however, threaten her children and the calmest, kindest and gentlest woman will do what ever is needed to protect those children. This is a case of family defense and preservation. It is the violence that is being committed against her family that has caused this normally meed woman to become violent.

What can we see about an individual that we believe shows that they are violent or can become violent.

1. Are they having a lot of stress in their lives? Is something going on in their personal lives to cause an increased amount of pressure? Stress at home can cause a person to "fly off the handle".

2. Is the person now spending more time by themselves then what they used to? How many times have we heard "they just stuck to themselves". They are refered to as always having been a loner.

3. What kind of things are they looking at on the Internet?

4. Are they behaving differently? Hanging out with different people? Joining different groups, religions, or a radical kind of group?

5. Have they mentioned anything to anyone that would be considered to be a threat?

There are times when there are no hints at all and a person has been able to hide their hurt, hate, and violence inside until they just explode, and it is too late.

Sometimes there are spouses who really have given no sign of violence and the second that they are married, they become abusive. It is hard to say what makes someone change from non violent to violent.

The saying that "hind sight is 20-20" is golden. A lot of times a person can see what the signs were after the fact. Restraining orders are useless against a violent offender. What are the signs, what could we have done differently? What can we do to keep it from happening again?

Oprah had a show on fear and what a gift fear can be. She had people who had saved themselves by following their instincts. Those people said that they just had a second that the other person gave them pause. Follow those instincts. Be safe.

Learn more about this author, Renee Dawson.
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