Safer Than Ever
Whether it's at the front of your mind, intentionally informing your decisions -or- lurking in your subconscious, sneaking into your behaviors and actions, it's there.
Worry. Concern. Fear. The world isn't as safe as it used to be.
But is it true? It certainly rings true to most of us. So it might surprise, or even shock you, to learn that while our fears have grown, it's safer out there than it has been in a long time!
But don't take my word for it...
Crime Is Lower Today Than When You Grew Up
Props to Letgrow.org for Compiling these Stats!
Crime has dropped precipitously in the last quarter-century (1990-2016), Brennan Center for Justice, NYU.
The crime rate went down again in 2017, says Brennan Center preliminary report.
Crime rate back to level of 1967 according to this comparative chart of crimes from 1960 - 2016.
Crime is back to the level it was when gas cost 29 cents a gallon, says the Christian Science Monitor.
Crime is back to the level it was before color TV, says The Week magazine.
2013 gun crime rate back to level of early 1960s, says Pew Study.
2014 violent crime rate down another 4.4%, says USA Today.
Amazing, simple chart of U.S. homicide rate per 100,000 people, from 1950 (4.6) to 1980 (10.2) to 2014 (4.5).
Crime rate down 74% from 1993 to 2017, says the Bureau of Justice Statistics
Pedestrian, bicyclist and car deaths ALSO at lowest rate in decades, says The Council on Foreign Relations.
And here’s an overall report on crime over the last 25 years, which includes the graph below: Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School
20 Years After Columbine, Schools Have Gotten Safer, but Fears Have Grown (NYTimes, Ap. 20, 2019)
Schools Remain Far Safer Than Other Places for Kids. In the 2015-2016 School Year, 18 of the 1,478 Homicides of School-Age Youth (ages 5–18) Occurred at School
From Fear to Freedom! Living with Acceptable Risk
Of course there are still real dangers in the world that we all need to be mindful of and only you can determine what risks you find acceptable. The point here is to understand how inflated the danger (and risk) can feel due to the heightened visibility of violence and crime in today's digital age. Knowing the real risk lifts the weight of fear and concern a bit and allows you to enjoy each day more.
Weekly Challenge!
Expand Your Comfort Zone: Some of us justify having our phones with us at all times as a safety precaution (if there's an emergency, I need my phone to call for help!). That makes sense in some scenarios, but may be overkill for running to the grocery store that's just a few miles away.
Examine some of your daily routines/tasks and see where you may be able to push your comfort zone and loosen your safety net a bit. Baby steps are steps, and fine by us ;)
