Have Pens, Will Strike

No one can hurt you without your consent. It’s important to remember this as you go through a day full of danger - real and otherwise. That teenager you stand next to while waiting for your friend to drive by could be a robber. That nice old lady you sit next to could be a thief waiting for the right moment to pick your handbag. As you stand in some dimly-lit corner flagging down a cab, you could fall prey to senseless acts of violence. How do you protect yourself from all these and more? Look around, and learn to appreciate the value of the things you see - or don’t - as a secret weapon.

1. Umbrella - The umbrella is convenient for a rainy day and for self-defense, too. Transform it into a cane, and rain forceful blows into your assailant’s head and body. You may also use it to block your enemy’s punches or strike his hand so he accidentally lets go of his knife.

2. Glass bottle - You could be drinking soda one moment and using it to defend yourself the next. The glass bottle is widely popular as a street weapon, and for good reason. Before breakage, it packs a lot of strength as you use it to strike your opponent’s head. Once the bottle breaks, it becomes even more lethal. The bottleneck, with its jagged end, could lacerate whatever and whomever it hits.

3. Ballpen - Believe it or not, that Cross pen set you bought could be turned into weapons. Those Cross century pens make the perfect weapon because of their material and size. They’re sturdy, durable, and so put them anywhere - inside your bag, in your front pocket, or stuck to the notebook you are carrying. Then, too, Cross pens are such classy writing tools it’s difficult to identify them with anything sinister. Your attacker might even scoff at you if you take one out and declare, “I could hurt somethin’ fierce with my pen, so you might want to return to wherever it is you came from.”

As a weapon, the humble pen is potent and powerful. You can use it to stab your assailant’s body or gouge an eye out, thus buying you precious time to escape.

4. Nail file - Not only for cleaning nails, you could use this to wipe the smug smile off that mugger’s face. Use this the same way you would use your Cross pens.

5. Hair spray - Aerosol is an irritant, so if you spray this directly onto your attacker’s eyes, it guarantees short-term blindness and disorientation. You will have thus time to scream for help as you run away.

Remember, you are never powerless. You are never unarmed. By being attuned to the dangers around you and the little ordinary weapons you can use to protect yourself, you might even live to be ninety!