Most people have probably heard the phrase, a man's home is his castle. I think it means that no matter how modest or poor a person's house may be, it is theirs, their home, a place they can return to and close off the outside world and to reside in whatever comfort and safety they create there.
It's something I believe in completely and totally and I feel strongly that a person should have the right to create a secure environment and to defend it if needs be.
The phrase is only a small part of a five-hour-long argument made by lawyer James Otis in a Boston courtroom back in 1761.
He was arguing against the Writs of Assistance imposed by the British Government giving its officials power of entry and search for homes and private businesses. Americans were smuggling tea, sugar, rum and various everyday products to avoid British taxes; The writs gave officials unrestricted right of entry at any time, any place and in any manner for the purpose of these searches.
A collective of Boston merchants joined to sue against the writs and were represented by James Otis.
Here's the paragraph in which it appears lifted from the five-hour speech.
"Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle; and whilst he is quiet, he is as well guarded as a prince in his castle. This writ, if it should be declared legal, would totally annihilate this privilege. [Government] officers may enter our houses when they please; we are commanded to permit their entry. Their menial servants may enter, may break locks, bars, and everything in their way; and whether they break through malice or revenge, no man, no court can inquire. Bare suspicion without oath is sufficient."
It's pretty powerful I think...A man's house is his castle; and whilst he is quiet, he is as well guarded as a prince in his castle. This writ, if it should be declared legal, would totally annihilate this privilege.
Jump ahead 260 years to today and you'll find me sitting in my comfortable home without fear of the government battering down my door, storming in and turning it upside down looking for contraband...And yet I still think about security and safety...And my right to defend my castle.
Today I heard a story of a violent home invasion the parents of a work colleague suffered through. The couple, in their late 50's, were terrorised and both were struck a few times then they were robbed; The ordeal went for some 30 minutes.
They were too afraid to remain in the house from that point and have since sold it and entered a gated community for the over 55's. A lifestyle village they call them here. It's a tragic victim-story and I can only imagine how they would have felt.
For years Faith and I have locked our doors when home; It was odd for me initially as I was raised in a small town where nothing was locked, ever.
When we come home the screen doors are locked, windows are locked in a slightly open position for air flow and we secure the house in other ways, a perimeter alarm for instance, camera's and the like.
When we go to bed the main solid timber doors are locked and chained and I always make sure the house is in a safe state. No, we don't live in a bad neighbourhood, it's a good one in fact, but home invasions including violence is on the rise and I'm not one to accept being a victim; I actively mitigate the risks.
I also have several counter-measures available throughout the house in the advent of me finding someone inside. These counter-measures don't necessarily mean I'll be safe, or come out on top of a struggle, although it's probably going to end badly for the intruder especially considering they would not understand the layout of the property in the dark as I do. It invaded in day time hours...Well, let's just say they better bring an army, or kill me in the first few seconds.
We have fake emergency wallets with old credit cards in them, some cash too. We also have fake jewellery and very cheap but expensive-looking brand name watches from Thailand within easy reach to, in a panic, hand over to the bad guys. We have a few other things that we would readily hand over to them with the hope they leave...Of course, I'll take action if needed, but the hope is that they take their haul and simply leave without causing us harm. Most of these home invasions are opportunistic and people are all about stuff they can easily offload for drug money.
Together with these preparations, and an emergency plan which Faith and I practice, we feel a little safer. For me, I feel this is the minimum level of preparation to mitigate the potential risks around home-invasion.
We have discussed what to do and say and how to act in the advent of being held against our will and about what could potentially occur should I be over-powered, knocked out or killed. It's an unpleasant thought, repellant really, but ignoring the possibilities is essentially like painting a big V for victim our front door. Nope, not me. I know how to defend and attack and am capable of a great deal of violence if required...I'll deal with the ramifications later.
I know not everyone may feel the same way or take the effort to prepare themselves; I get it. Calling the police emergency line might be the best option for others but for me I don't have a lot of faith in their response time. A lot happens in 20 minutes, let alone an hour or two...Some of those things are life-time sentences for the victims.
It was only tonight I heard a man broke into a woman's house and twice raped her...He was on parole at the time. He will get off with a light sentence his lawyer says, but the woman has a life sentence. This sort of thing infuriates me and makes me want to be prepared as best I can. It's my job to protect my wife Faith and I'll do so until the threat is neutralised or I'm dead.
I've other measures I haven't mentioned, of course, but essentially I see the above as the bare minimum for most people. Sure, If you live on the 30th floor of an apartment building maybe it's overkill, but generally I believe every household should have security measures and plans.
Crime is on the rise through financial stresses, job loss and general societal behavioural changes, drug use and organised crime. We live in a riskier world than before. Talking worked for James Otis, I prefer action.
So, what do you think. Am I being paranoid? Are you of the it won't happen to me group or do you also have some security measures at your home? You don't need to elaborate on them but maybe you'd like to share something, tell a story of and event that happened to you, a break-in or invasion. Feel free to comment below.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
This isn't a rant post, just a talk post.