Violence, Assault, Danger, Aggression & Travel

We’ve been to 60 countries, give or take, over a period exceeding 20 years. A lot of these travel adventures were extended, 3-month or 6-month stays in a country or place. So what about physical threats, have we ever been attacked, mugged, robbed at gunpoint, or in any way had worries about potential fear or aggression? No, not really. Not until this morning. I’ll tell you what happened after I talk about the extreme goodness that you find in the majority of people, everywhere you travel.

Physical Attacks While Travelling

Did you know that the definition of assault includes making a person feel as if they are in danger of physical violence? I didn’t until I looked it up this morning, because my husband was assaulted.

I believe in kindness and love. I believe that we are all here to help each other and support each other. We are all one, in every country on Earth. It was something that I really wanted the kids to understand through first-hand experience.

I’m not perfect, I’ve had the odd freak-out when I’ve been anxious, upset, peri-menopausal, or stressed, but as time marches on, I’m becoming better and better at maintaining a state of loving kindness. It’s a type of meditation. I meditate, I love it. It’s self-care and mental health.

I think that, in general, angry, aggressive, hate-filled people don’t travel. They stay home. Maybe they perceive the world differently and see no joy in the experiences of the world. Maybe they live in lack, like Gollum, or think it’s dangerous out there, or are fearful in some way. They’re wrong. They’re probably the very same keyboard warriors that I left social media to escape.

I do think that angry aggressive people are more common in non-Buddhist countries. Anywhere with a lot of monks is much more open-hearted. It’s the basis of everything there. My favourite countries have a heavy Buddhist presence.

I don’t think the world is a scary place, and never have. The majority of people are kind. Just about every country has something wonderful about it, and all religions carry the common thread of kindness. Sure, man has corrupted that for his own means, but the core thread is good and kind.

We have been robbed, petty robberies, a pickpocket took cash in Malaysia, somebody stole my best T-shirt in the same country, and we had a bag stolen in Australia.

I have been groped in India, twice. They call it Eve Teasing, and I guess it’s just the norm there. I can shrug that off pretty easily. I wouldn’t travel India as a solo woman, but some do. It remains one of my favourite countries; it’s just a shame about some men.

I’ve felt aggression or annoyance from other travellers at times. It always happens when it’s just me and the kids, never when my husband is there. It’s a cowardly power play.

Have you seen the recent “plane rage” videos, mostly coming out of the US? What’s that all about? It looks like the frustrations of being herded like cattle on the US airlines bring out the worst in some people. Maybe those airlines were deliberately made that way to trigger such a response.

How you react to situations determines the feeling of the situation. So yes, there may be a tout being overly touty, so what? Smile and wave. That’s what I always taught the kids, smile and wave boys, just smile and wave.

People often complain about the touts in Egypt. Yes, they can be full on, but it’s a game to be played with a smile. If you come home saying how awful Egypt is (and that’s common), did you have a good trip? We LOVE travelling in Egypt, I may not have loved it when we were almost hit by a runaway truck but I’d go back in a heartbeat.

The touts probably have a family to feed and just need to make a few bucks. If you had hungry kids, wouldn’t you be pushy too?

This morning, my husband was violently assaulted by a neighbour at home, on our own driveway. He’s hurt. He’s been to the police and the hospital, but he’ll be fine.

I wonder how the guy who did it will be feeling? He’ll be scared that we’ll press charges, he’ll be scared that we could have his dogs removed, he’ll be shook up, angry, sad, confused, will hate himself, and his own aggression. His wife won’t be best pleased with him either. He’s made his own Hell on Earth. I imagine he’s seething.

His wife stood on her doorstep shouting obscenities at us. We walked away, all 4 of us, untouched. What makes people think they’ll feel better if they do that? They’re trying to hurt us, but they’re only hurting themselves. We couldn’t actually make out what she was saying because her voice was pure rage.

We are untouchable because we choose love over hate. We have not pressed charges. We chose to forgive them, turn the other cheek, even. We still can proceed with the legals, but we haven’t yet. The police have our concrete video evidence and a statement.

My husband may not be able to work for the next few days, hopefully not longer. That will cost us, but money is nothing; it doesn’t matter, it will flow.

If I had to put a bet on it, I would say that these neighbours had never travelled and have no interest in doing so. You meet nicer people out in the world than at home sometimes. I won’t be asking them. In the 4 years we’ve lived here, we’ve never had a conversation, just anger. We honestly do not know why.

What makes somebody hate a neighbour before they’ve even met? Maybe they just hate everyone.

Does travel make people better, or do better people travel? I’m not sure. I’m not trying to say we’re better, but I’ve never flown into a rage and attacked a neighbour. It’s something to ponder.

And that is all I have to say today. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a beautiful day. More travel content coming very soon but, I’m taking a lot more time to be offline. All that meditation makes me busy. Don’t live in fear.

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