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| www.envocare.co.uk |
After an hour of shouting for help,
a tourist jumped from a balcony to escape assailants.
In Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, a
knock roused a woman in her Indian hotel in the early hours of the morning. At
the door, the manager and a guard pushed their way into the room with promises
of an oil rub. Jessica Davies managed to repel them and close the door, but
they remained outside trying to penetrate the barrier she'd erected. Nobody
responded to her continual shouts for help and pounding. Desperate, she jumped
out of her window, injuring both legs.
With the safety of women in India
still a simmering issue since the brutal assault of a Delhi student before
Christmas and the recent gang-rape of a Swiss tourist, Jessica's plight got
instant headlines in India and abroad. She remains adamant that she will return
to India, but never alone.
Have you ever wondered how you
would react when threatened this way? And, more importantly, should we test
ourselves to danger?
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| www.photography.gordonengland.co.uk |
This morning, meditating in my
warm living room, I listened to the soft coo, coo of a wood pigeon. The bird
must have sheltered on a tree outside in the corner of the garden where fallen
snow had melted. I replaced the dove with an image of myself, snug and
protected, cooing in a daily blog. Never venturing out of my comfort zone or
placing myself in any sort of danger. It seems that some people live secure lives
and others are at risk.
I don't think I need testing at my
time of life and circumstances. I'd surely fail to repel anyone intent on doing
me harm. Yet, I've faced up to an anticipated risk. In 1987, after a traumatic
marriage, I left my protected life in Australia and arrived in London alone. Before
planning the venture, I'd heard about roaming gangs of thugs and stabbings on
the underground and knew I'd need to use that form of travel when I arrived.
However, a cloud of protection hovered over me while I rode on the trains and arranged
a live-in job as a nanny. I've never felt unsafe in my whole life.
The pigeon outside my window eventually
flew away to face cold and hunger. Should we push ourselves more in life?
People will do desperate things in desperate circumstances. I'm not surprised that a woman would jump out of a window rather than risk being raped. Why endure torture when you could be instantly dead? Thankfully, you can sometimes survive a fall, so you might end up living the rest of your life after all.
ReplyDeleteWhen the torment is too much to bear, we would all choose another path.
DeleteYou have to know when to risk and when not to, Francene. A lot of people do risk more than others, some by choice, some inadvertently. You also need to be able to recognize opportunity when it happens by.
ReplyDeleteI travelled to a new country as well, and have never regretted it.
I guess there is an adventurer inside every one of us.
ReplyDelete