Martin Gallagher • Mar 17, 2018
Meerkat Sentinels
We don’t need to go around killing cobras, but we do need to return to a socially aware mindset. Like the meerkats, we need to work together to keep everybody and our children safe, so we can live, grow, learn, work and play in a safe environment.
Are these animals a frightened collective?
They are not living in fear, but they are highly alert. The members of this successful social group of animals look out for each other, they take turns in guarding and monitoring their environment, whilst allowing other members to feed and play. They do not have or rely on a police force, military or security service. When they see something suspicious, they tell the rest of their collective, when a cobra enters their area, it is usually spotted by at least one member of the team and together they deal with it.
Without their excellent and constant vigilance, their unit would eventually be destroyed by predators.
Put all the advertising gimmicks aside, remove the “Oh they’re so cute” factor from your mind, these amazing animals are tenacious and have a much better survival instinct and work better as a collective than we do because their first care is to their unit and not to themselves.
When your brain is off-grid, buried in your mobile phone or reading your newspaper on the usually cram-packed tube, train or bus, you are prey. Look up from time to time and check your surroundings if you see something, say something. Bet your last dollar that nearly all (if not all) the other commuters are off-grid too. Personally, I have seen this all too many times when traveling.
Where do meerkats get their awareness training? By watching and following the example set by their pack as they grow. Where can you get yours? Critical Incident Management & Awareness Training (CIMAT) seminars.