In a world that is so full of distraction and immediate gratification it is easy to get lost in the status quo. I admit, it is much easier to talk about the Super Bowl than it is a subject like Human Trafficking. And it’s more accepted to talk about the latest iPhone than sex offenders.
Have you ever heard “The truth is stranger than fiction?”
Sometimes the most difficult things that you want to run away from are the things you need to confront head on if you are going to change the world.
Let’s face it; there is violence all around us. All of us wish the world was completely filled with loving and empathetic people, but there is a darker side as we all know. We all have heard the declaration: “America, the land of the free!” This is a true statement for most of us, but this “land of the free” has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world!
Those of you that have been to a Pretty Loaded class, taken the online training or know me personally understand that Dru Sjodin is one of my inspirations to help others develop their personal safety plans. Dru’s life has become an inspiration to many others and through her death more awareness has been raised about violent crimes.
The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public website allows the public to know the whereabouts of registered sex offenders regardless of state boundaries. The following is cited from that site: About 20 million out of 112 million women (18.0%) in the United States have been raped during their lifetime, and only 16% of all rapes were reported to law enforcement…..
The violence that does make the news leaves many feeling more fearful. One solution to the violence is to be proactive, come up with a safety plan for yourself and discuss safety plans with your loved ones. Humans are predictable (especially predators) and if you know what to look for you can keep yourself from danger and avoid bad situations.
You may ask yourself, “What can I do to help change the world and prevent some of this violence?” The first solution is to start shining light on the darkness and work on the denial that causes so many to be blind to reality. Then, educate yourself and your loved ones and support organizations such as The National Human Trafficking Agency or your local organization (North Dakota’s 4Her ND is here).
Have you heard of the ripple effect? Each tiny movement toward a more AWARE society can send ripples of more awareness through our organizations, our families, and our communities. This is how positive change happens. Being awake to the reality of violence shouldn’t make you more fearful, it should embolden you with the confidence to live life on your terms, not those of some thug who thinks they can devastate your life any way they please.
The next time you are out with your friends and want to talk about fashion and sports teams, consider talking about the dark subjects as well to raise more awareness and help make the world a better place. Your friends may thank you someday.
Pretty Loaded will continue to bring more awareness, confront denial and shine our light on the darkness that permeates a segment of our society.
Remember, every big wave started small. We started teaching to a classroom of ten people and now we are reaching millions around the world! Help us make some waves!
Please continue to share your testimonials on how Pretty Loaded has helped you stay safe. Sharing your story always brings more awareness so others will know how to handle bad situations as well. Share here
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Beth is the founder of Pretty Loaded. On a mission to install strength, awareness, and confidence, Beth began her journey as an educator and National speaker after a close encounter with a would-be predator. She has trained thousands of people in person, and through her online training and videos around the world. Her safety videos reach millions globally! She is responsible for starting the National Situational Awareness Day and this was approved by the registrar of the National Day Calendar. Beth has been featured on Consumer Reports, Reddit, Yahoo!Finance, Elite Readers, BuzzFeed, ViralNova, and many more networks. Beth loves spending her time reading, playing tennis, cooking, and painting. She is married and has four wonderful girls, a supermicro pig named Clover Smalls, and lives on an organic produce farm and vineyard.
