In times past, I would have used the term “simple situational awareness” to refer to an ability that I thought that most people had. As it turns out, this was projection, and this ability is more rare than I thought.

This was what I’ve learned through a long history of nearly bumping into people who back up without looking, or seeing people strike up conversations in doorways.

To me, one aspect of situational awareness is a reasonable understanding of your current situation, and where it’s taking place. After a long time exercising this ability, it’s almost automatic. I’d walk into a room, and note it’s layout, the exits, and likely high-traffic areas that a reasonable person would not want to poke around in if they don’t want to be annoying.

It can also be the wisdom that comes with avoiding certain behaviors, if the location is such that the behavior had the potential to lead to an undesirable outcome. For example, it hope it’s obvious why it would be risky to play pin the tail on the donkey while on an industrial mezzanine.

It seems like I’m one of the few who have this ability, which is why one of my previous employers had to put up a sign telling employees not to gather in front of the lunch room door to chat it up. It’s awesome that they put the sign up, but it sucked that they had to.

Come to think of it, I don’t recall anyone in management or anyone in a leadership position failing in situational awareness to the point of holding up foot traffic. And it stands to reason, because if someone is going to posture as an intellectual better, they can at least exhibit intellect.

When it comes down to it, the purpose of the brain in animals is to allow for decision-making for mobile creatures. To make decisions in light of our environment is one of the key features of the brain. It’s expedient to survival.

So then, why are there so many people who lack situational awareness? I’m guessing that it’s because the nature of society provides some amount of insulation from some of the worst consequences of recklessness. Sure, some consequences are still there, but they’ve been reduced to the point that people have relaxed some of their basic survival skills.

And, as you might expect, stupidity has filled in the resulting gap.

So it seems like simple situational awareness isn’t so simple anymore, it’s become more like a superpower.

Is this a superpower that you have? If you can use it, please do.