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Unfortunately, in my experience, the only way we (as a collective) learn that we are on our own and solely and personally responsible for our own safety and security is to become victims of some incident, either directly or indirectly, and not get any help.

Many of us who grew up "in the country" where there isn't the "support network" figured it out intuitively...get a truck stuck in a ditch, and you've got a 5 mile walk to get a tractor and get yourself out of a jam, for example. And yet, even those type of "minor" experiences are what teach us that we're on our own.

Those who grow up in less rural environments may discover that after dropping the truck into the ditch, in a few minutes someone will be along...hopefully to help, but not always. Again, there's the lesson.

It's a bitter pill to swallow when your car gets broken into and cleaned out, or your home is burglarized, that really nobody can do anything about it, except take a report and provide some paperwork...but usually something like that is a turning point for people.

I know there are strangers out there (and friends I've not yet met) that I can rely on when the chips are down--but I also know that I can't rely on those people being in the right place at the right time, when I need help immediately. I learned these facts through a series of experiences. One of those key facts is that even people who are willing to help may not know what to do, and are so stunned by the incident unfolding before their eyes that they may just stand there amazed...and that you as the person in the middle of it may also do the same thing.

So .... it's a matter of conditioning, and sometimes those conditioning exercises are unpleasant. It's unfortunate, but it's been my experience that this is true.