I don’t want the situational awareness of Bourne. I don’t have that many people trying to kill me, that level of situational awareness would just make me pay attention to the fact that everybody around me is boring and doing boring things. Which is what I do, and don’t need that level of awareness.
LOL, I don’t think you need it like THAT. But, it covers a lot of aspects of life. There is a great book called “Once an Eagle” which is good reading on leadership. In it the career Army guy finds himself in the 1920’s on leave with his wife at a high society civilian dinner, where all the men are talking business. Without even thinking about it, he realized the entire time he was involuntarily sizing up each man, who would likely be good in a pinch, who was dependable, who was all bluster, etc.
It was what he did in combat in the military, all the time. He didn’t think about doing it, he didn’t talk with anyone else about it, he just kind of did it out of habit, naturally.
I think that is the target of much of this...what can you develop naturally without turning into a bizzare,bug-eye, head-swiveling maniac! That would probably drive you crazy!
I generally agree with you, but even in my humdrum life, there have been multiple events where I’ve been surprised by threatening events that I should have been aware of as they were unfolding. My wife and I accosted by some “brothers” in a parking lot in Palo Alto at night; another “brother” shaking us down for money in Palo Alto; two “brothers” walking the opposite direction on a downtown Columbus, OH sidewalk intentionally shouldering my friend and I hard as we passed; getting “knock-out game” slugged by a “brother” in Ithaca, NY when I was 13. Luckily none of these turned real violent or life-threatening, but there were serious enough to make me a LOT more aware of my situation and surroundings, especially when near urban “bruthas.”
“I don’t want the situational awareness of Bourne.”
Living in a constant state of “fight or flight” is very draining. Many returning combat veterans struggle daily to try and escape from that kind of reality.