What would you do if you are swimming in the middle of the ocean and you start to have muscle leg cramps? How will you react when people start to run out of the movie theater because of the Fire? Will you die screaming when you see a dead girl who hang herself underneath the tree?

Panic happens to everyone especially when it is their first time to experience it. It clouded the mind that prevents an individual from any logical thinking. It is a sudden sensation of fear that causes bad decision like mass stampede and even death.

My Father thought me how to overcome it. When I was little, my Dad used to bring me all the time to the beach of Matabungkay in Lian Batangas. We always travel in a big group and always take the Balsa (a small raft or boat made from bamboo sticks). We then hook up the Balsa in the deepest water then swim from there.
I, at that time, don’t know how to swim. But my Father always bring me to the open sea and I try to swim (head above water) somehow towards him who is seating comfortably in the Balsa.
Did it work?….. Absolutely! I was able to overthrown my fear and became a steady swimmer.

I know now how to survive if a boat sinks in the middle of the ocean. Even if I have muscle leg cramps… all I need to do is massage my leg gently even when I am submerge in the water. Go up to take some oxygen then repeat the procedure again until I am able to take away the cramps.

In the past, when I go out on a date for a movie. I always position ourselves near the Fire Exit. We still take the best seat as much as possible but I always make sure that we are quite near to the Fire Exit.
Why? Because when there is a Fire… people first reaction is to run out where they came from in the first place. It initiates Crowd Rush and Human Stampede that leads to severe injuries.
But if you are position near the Fire Exit… you can easily get out of the theater and most of the time you go along with a very small crowd.
It’s funny… the Fire Exit is always exposed in the movies theaters with clear white and green lights but they become invisible when there is chaos.

I will always remember my Dad say a lot of time the phrase “Think Before You Act” to avoid making dumb decisions.
In our hyper-connected world, we are addicted to speed, which often leads to people making rash, impulsive decisions.
Not thinking before you act can get you into legal trouble. You can, for example, be sued for negligence if you do not exercise reasonable caution when doing things.

The “Think Before You Act” attribute helped me get through when I witness the wife of our caretaker in our province who committed suicide by hanging herself underneath our mango tree.
It was crazy! Seeing a dead girl like that at the wee hours of the morning! It is like the movie The Exorcist and The Conjuring mold into one!
Even with a great sense of fear… I stood my ground, didn’t panic and thought conscientiously before making decisions.
I first checked if there is a chance of reviving the person who committed suicide. We didn’t touch the body, we just look at her if we can revive her.

Upon confirming of her death, I told everybody not to bring down the deceased body from the tree. In this way, nobody will accuse any of us who is present at the time of the incident. I called the police and shortly after the authorities came and they immediately interrogated the husband (whom they initially thought was the suspect).

To make the story short, it was clearly a suicide by drop hanging. No foul play was transpired.
But for me, it was one of the most unforgettable and scary experience that I ever encountered in my entire life.

Somehow, I am slowly but surely handing it over the “Think Before You Act” to my children so when the time will come they know how to react to it.
My kids (especially my eldest) are fast and good swimmers. They know what to do if their ship suddenly sank and can survive swimming to the nearest island.

When they go out for a movie. They will sit on the seats near the Fire Exit. My kids also needs to enlighten the minds of their dates for them to do it whenever they go to the theaters.

My boys don’t need to be Manly and Brave. They just need to be wise.

Think Before You Act and Not Pressing the Panic Button! I hope you guys put this in mind. You might find this absurd at first but it will definitely save your life in the future.