The world just seems that little bit less safe

Two days ago Alex was walking to my house. It was nearly 6pm and he was a block from my home. Three guys approached him and asked him for money, he said no. One of them came at him so he punched the guy. Then the other two came at him and held on to him whilst the other sprayed him in the eyes with pepper spray. Alex threw his money at them and they ran off. His eyes were really messed up for a few hours, but luckily he's ok.

I can't stop thinking though, what if they'd had a knife, or a gun. What if, in the space of a few moments, they took away the one person in my life that's made everything I've ever gone through worth it. I know that it's not a postive way to think and is probably self destructing but I guarantee that anyone who's been in a situation like this has felt the same.

As one of my best friends said to me, Alex is ok and that's all that matters. It's just really made me realise how quickly things can happen that can change your life. I was lucky, but many people have not been. We can never live our lives thinking that things like this will never happen to us. We need to accept that they can and we need to protect ourselves.

Go to: http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/119/113399.htm?pagenumber=3 for information on how you can protect yourself.

As negative as it sounds, you cannot trust people that you don't know, regardless of how kind they seem. It's much better to come across as rude than it is to be placed in a vulnerable situation.

I strongly suggest that everyone, male or female, become aware of the steps you can take to keep safe. Ignorance is not bliss, but knowledge is power.