Lessons in wake of attack
The Taipei Metro attack on Friday last week is not without precedent in Taiwan. In the wake of the rampage, we are reminded that although these events are rare, they still happen, especially in crowded public spaces. Dangers can present themselves suddenly and unpredictably. The most recent incident has demonstrated, once again, that feeling safe is no substitute for preparedness.
Taiwan has long enjoyed a sense of stability and safety in everyday life — an achievement worth cherishing, no doubt, but one which has also allowed us a form of complacency that has lowered our defenses.
In the aftermath of such an incident, we are left stunned, emotional or in shock, and many of us fail to ask ourselves a fundamental question: If we were there the next time, would we know how to protect ourselves and our families?
It is for this reason exactly that the government this year distributed the new orange civil defense guide, titled In Case of Crisis: Taiwan’s National Public Safety Guide. The hope is to spread basic skills and awareness for disaster preparedness, evacuation and self-protection.
However, the initiative was ridiculed by the pan-blue and pan-white camps as being unnecessary and stirring up panic. After last week, the distribution of the guide was far from being alarmist; rather, it was a basic acknowledgement of potential threats.
With New Years coming next week and the Lunar New Year holiday soon to follow, crowded spaces and gatherings are set to become more frequent. The larger the crowd, the greater the potential impact of an incident, and the more important it is to be able to think and respond quickly.
What is concerning is not the motive behind the attack, but whether we can establish a lasting level of safety and crisis awareness. Security at the level of individuals, families, society and even national defense are all on one spectrum. Only when we have a strong sense of how to protect ourselves in day-to-day life can we hope to keep our footing in the face of even greater threats.
Shih Li
Tainan
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