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What you can learn from the day I was hijacked at gun-point |
It happened two years ago, on a beautiful Saturday night just past 8pm.
I was in a great mood, the week that just passed was full of good occurrences, and it was weekend. I made plans to go dancing with a friend of mine and agreed to pick her up at her house at 8pm that night. I spent the day at home doing some work, going to gym and watching a movie, and it got time for me to take a shower and get ready to go out.
All refreshed and dressed up to go partying, I got in my car and headed out to go pick up my friend. Traffic was pretty thin so I had no problems on the way, in fact I got there about 5 minutes early, and of course she wasn’t ready yet because she was still doing the final touches of her make-up and hair. I was totally relaxed so didn’t mind waiting. I didn’t feel like going inside so I decided to sit in my car on the sidewalk of the road in front of her house.
Now, up to this point in my life things had always gone pretty smoothly, and I had never come into contact with real violence or crime, and I pretty much had the impression that those kind of things only happen in movies or to some other unfortunate souls. It was almost like I believed that I was invincible, and I was very naive thinking that those things could never happen to me.
My friend didn’t live in a super bad neighbourhood, but it definitely was not the greatest. I did not see it as a real problem because I had been going there for the last two years without a problem. Back to the moment I was sitting in my car. I should probably mention that it was a new, white, shiny VW golf GTI that I had gotten in the beginning of the year and was really in love with. The car was switched off, hand-brake was up, gears in neutral, key in the ignition, and I was listening to the radio and playing with my phone. I wasn’t looking around since the street was empty and I had no idea that there was evil lurking around me.
Then all of a sudden I catch a glimpse of headlights from my rear-view mirror, I hear the engine from a car and BANG, I see this small lorry swerve straight into the front of my car. Immediately I was seriously angry, I thought this guy was drunk and that he just drove into my gorgeous car, and I was about to get out to tell him what I thought of him when the doors opened and 5 guys jumped out. I was still confused and kind of thinking “What the f*** is going on here”. Then one of them lifted their arm and pointed a shiny silver revolver at me from outside the car and I realised “Oh crap, I’m being Hijacked” as he told me to get out the car.
Strange thing is, I wasn’t scared at all, not even in the slightest. I didn’t even think about dying, but I was aware of the fact that i could get shot at any moment. There were multiple thoughts running through my head at light-speed. First thought was…”is that gun real?” because these men were tiny, some of them I think were under 18, and I was not scared to get into a fight with them if they did not have guns or knives or other weapons. I decided not to take the gamble if the gun was real and accepted the fact that he would probably kill me if I resisted so I just went along. My second thought which was linked to the first one was a calculation of how long it would take to start the car, shift into gear, remove the handbrake and drive off, but this would take at least 6-10 seconds which was time I did not have.
I concluded that it was best to give them what they wanted and hope they don’t do anything to me. I got out the car, one guy was screaming at me to give him the key, and I told him it was in the ignition. He screamed at me to give him my cell phone while another guy got in the car and started it. I handed him my cell phone and wallet, and watched the one guy race away with my car as the others got back in the lorry and sped off also.
So there I was standing, totally perplexed and confused as to what had just happened, in the middle of the street. For a while I was worried they would come back and do a drive-by shooting or something, so I jumped over my friends wall and banged on her door. It took her forever to answer and she thought I was joking when I told her my car had just been stolen.
The rest of the story is not as exciting and not the message that I want to share with you, but I will tell you briefly how it turned out. I was perfectly fine (no trauma or fear either, just angry that these idiots took my car), we went to the police station to report the incident and the next day my car was found in the rural townships with everything stolen out of it and no wheels. The interior wasn’t damaged though and they had driven a total of less than 100km with it. I was without my car for a few months as it was being repaired (good thing that I was insured, because the insurance covered it). When I got it back it was practically new again and I still have it until this day and still love my car 
.
The lessons I learnt from this whole experience and the lessons I want to share with you today are:
1- It is worth being insured for events like this.
2- You are not invincible, if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just a victim, bad things can happen to you.
3- In the event of lesson number 2 occurring, it is good to always have a plan. Where-ever you go, always be cautious, know where emergency exits are, be wary of unattended suitcases in crowded areas, shady characters that you might think are following you.
I heard a story from a guy who went to Asia and he was on a crowded airport, when a taxi driver came up to him and offered to take him to his hotel 30 miles away. This guy didn’t see a problem as it was a taxi driver so went with the man. The taxi driver ended up taking him to some dodgy neighbourhood, robbing him, stealing all his stuff and leaving him there. The guy found his way back and was okay, but he learnt his lesson not to trust strangers so quickly.
If something doesn’t quite feel right, go with your gut instinct. Subconciously you can pick up many things that you can’t quite clarify or explain.
4- Whenever you have to wait in your car outside or in a place you are not really familiar with, do not switch it off, leave the engine running, keep the car in gear, and be observant of what is going on around you and behind you. Do not position yourself so you can be wedged in easily and that you always have a chance to get away.
These are simple little things, and it is terrible that we have to take these precautions, but it is a big (and sometimes bad) world, and these little things may just save your life or increase your chances of getting away if something bad happens to you. I hope it never will!
Have a Rockin’ day
Diggy
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That definitely sucks. Fortunately I’ve never been robbed (at gun point at least), but I have been in the presence of violent situations that could have been life threatening.
Good idea of you to “go along” with what was happening. I think in this particular case the law of resistance played a key role. I know of other such stories where going with the flow with least resistance had a better outcome than outright defiance.
“Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – Bruce Lee
.-= Ron – Heroic Nature´s last blog ..Begin Living Vicariously Through Yourself =-.
Heya Ron
Yeah, I think it’s a very situaltional thing and only the person experiencing it can really make the call what seems best at the time. There is no doubt that there are other situations where it is better to show agression or to fight back.
Best is to avoid situations and conditions that are a breeding ground for bad things to happen (dark alleys, walking by yourself)
Thanks for stopping by
Great lessons to be learnt from that story!
Regarding #3 I came to think of this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-This-Book-Will-Save/dp/0060898771
Regardless, have an awesome day!
/Jonas
Hey Jonas!
Haha, I saw that book, it’s by Neil Strauss, I actually paged through it in a bookstore. I think it’ll be a good read for travelling or when on a plane or something
Cheers!
Now that’s a cool post. Nice way to show a real life experience and turn it into a lesson to help others. Cheers!
.-= Gordie Rogers´s last blog ..The Lifestyle Design Anthem: “My Way”. =-.
Hiya Gordie!
Glad you enjoyed the story
Wow Diggy, what a post! That was a fantastic story, plus the lessons are even greater. Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
Cheers
Dayne
.-= Dayne | TheHappySelf.com´s last blog ..Zen and The Awakened Soul =-.
Hey Dayne!!
You’re totally welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! Stay safe!
Cheers
I’m glad you made it through this ordeal safely! It’s interesting that you said you weren’t scared. Basically the same thing you just described happened to my cousin, and she said she wasn’t scared at all either. Must be shock or something.
.-= Nate´s last blog ..Finally made the to-do list =-.
Hiya Nate!
Thanks buddy! Yeah I have no idea what it is, maybe because it happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to process it, or maybe just ignorance and a false belief I can stop bullets like Neo from The Matrix
Glad you made it out alright, Diggy. Possessions can always be reclaimed, repurchased or released, but you’ve only got one life and unfortunately insurance doesn’t cover that in a way that allows you to get it back!
.-= Colin Wright´s last blog ..You’ll Never Be Philosophically Fulfilled (and That’s Okay) =-.
Heya Colin!
I totally agree, it would be dumb to risk your life for something that is replaceable. Rather let them take it and start over if you have to
Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, pretty scary experience … with a good ending, thank goodness. I’ve never had to deal head-on with crime so far (knocks on wood). But you’re right it’s really important to take these precautions. As a woman, it’s even more important that I do so.
My father is always warning me about these kinds of things (he sounds like the apocalypse is coming sometimes) and I usually brush it off as paranoia. Yes, he does go overboard, but I defintely need to start taking it more seriously.
.-= Valerie M´s last blog ..You don’t need permission to not “finish” what you start =-.
Heya Valerie!
Yup, thankfully it ended well. Parents always warn about these things and we as kids always brush it off and think they’re crazy, they have valid reasons to warn us to be careful.
I’d suggest just carry a smal can of mace in your purse, they are tiny and light and if anyone causes trouble a little spray in their eyes and even the biggest body builder will be rolling on the floor in agony.
Thanks for leaving a comment Valerie
Hey Diggy, I know you mention that you weren’t scared at the time but I’m wondering if it was adrenaline that had kicked in and making your body fight that feeling at that moment. Please tell me that after this all happened you did at least shake a little bit? Yeah I knew it!! I would be a shaking quivering piece of nothing. I am so glad you are here to tell us your story and that you can give us lessons to learn from it. I do know that at times we do feel invincible when we should really be aware & on top of our surroundings. Thanks Diggy, as usual great info and Post. jj
.-= jj-momscashblog´s last blog ..Malware Virus & What You Should Know About It =-.
Heya JJ
How you doing? Hope all is going well with you! i notice you haven’t been posting much lately ?
Nope, that is just it, I wasn’t scared, not much andrenaline at all. It all happened in a very zen-like state, almost in slow motion.
I guess there are other things that would scare me more where you would remain calm.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment:) I appreciate it JJ
Diggy, I like that you took a real life experience and added takeaway lessons. I’m not sure I would have been as calm and as collected as you. I’d probably say hey don’t forget my money belt, you forget that! Oh, and here’s a picture of me when I was 15, just in case!
Happy Monday!
.-= brian papa´s last blog ..How to take the last bagel responsibly =-.
Heya Brian
Glad you liked the post! The thing is, you never know how you will react until it happens, all you can do is come up with possible things you would do in a situation in your mind and let things happen the way they do when they occur.
Thanks for stopping by
Hi Diggy,
What an experience. It is such a traumatic experience and I believe that moment seems like eternity to you. But the good thing about it is that you are safe and sound.
.-= Vincent´s last blog ..Download Your Free Copy Of Unleash Your Maximum Potential Now =-.
Hiya Vincent!
Yeah until this day I remember every moment and sound super clearly of that event. Pretty amazing, but glad I got through it okay without being traumatized
Thanks for stopping by!
My gosh Diggy. You are very brave! If I ever see a gun I think I’ll just faint. What a great post and I admire your courage, some great lessons you pointed out.
Renee
Hey there Renee!
Hehe, you need someone big and strong to protect you, wouldn’t wanna see you get hurt
Thanks for leaving a comment!
Lesson #5: Be like Diggy and don’t let that traumatic experience ruin your life. Stay aware, but don’t get paranoid about bad things happening to you.
Excellent story, and it’s great that you took away important lessons from it.
.-= bretthimself´s last blog ..3 Inspirational Videos You Need to See =-.
Heya Brett!
Haha, Thanks for lesson #5
Very cool!
Glad you enjoyed it man!
Wow – wild story.
I was also held up, three years ago in St. Louis. I was waiting for the bus at 11:30am on a Thursday morning, and this man approached me. Before I knew it, his gun was pressed against my leg (he moved quite quickly), and I was pulling out my wallet to give to him.
For weeks I had bad dreams about that morning. Fortunately the only thing I walked away from was an increased understanding of “street smarts.”
Glad we made it!
.-= Alan´s last blog ..2009 Quarter 3 Update =-.
Heya Alan!
Wow, that sounds scary too! Glad you made it okay. It’s one thing getting robbed, but if someone hurts a person for a couple dollars or even takes their life I think it’s really a shame.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hey Dirk.
I agree with you on that point about waiting inside the car running when in an unsafe place, because then you don’t feel anxious about what would occur if you got into a rough situation, whether it would occur or not. It’s good to keep stress levels low in that respect.
.-= Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..Outdoor Mountain Hiking Trail Adventure – Series Introduction =-.
Hey Armen!
Welcome to Upgradereality! Glad to have you here!
Yes, then in a way you are at least somewhat prepared. If a situation is out of your control and turns out bad then it is one thing, but if there was something you could have done to prevent the situation or get away from it, like keeping the car running, then you will kick yourself if you didnt do it when something happens!
Thanks for stopping by!
Wow this is shocking…luckily the story has a good ending. You should be lucky you’re still alive.
At some point I do agree with you…You should be cautious. But on the other hand, you should not exaggerate it. Everytime you’re cautious you’re putting yourself in a position of a victim. Like any minute now…something can happen… Any minute now I might get robbed..Any minute now I might get shot. I think people who go through life like that..these people let fear play a big part in their lives and live seems like a big mean angry place. And when there is too much fear…there is no place to grow and thrive in life. There is no joy. When you think ‘FEAR’, fear will become a part of your life. And when you’re afraid of something, you attract more of what you’re afraid of. Ok this story is getting too long, but I think some do get my point here.
Hey Katya!
Oh I agree with you, you should not go through life being afraid, but you should definitely be cautious. Yes you might get robbed while you are sitting in your house, but are your doors and windows locked? Leaving your door unlocked while you are inside is definitely increasing your chances, so I would not say that always locking your door is being paranoid or fearful, it’s just common sense. I hope you get what I mean?
Thanks for stopping by!
Hey man! I can totally relate. I actually got robbed in Bejing, although there were no guns involved.
A bunch of Chinese guys took my friends and I back in the ally and took money from us. Luckily my friends and I did the right thing and didn’t fight back and it ended with only a net loss of 40 bucks. But it was scary to say the least!
.-= Bud Hennekes´s last blog ..11 Simple Daily Habits You Should Adopt =-.
Hey Bud!
Yeah pretty scary! It always happens when you don’t expect it, and always the thought of what they may or may not do to you is the scary one.
Glad you made it through okay!
Thanks for stopping by!
I hate it when guns are put to my head and decisions have to be made. Like allowing these DF’s to take my car. I have had a gun pulled on my twice. Once an oozie and another a 9mm or what I think a 9mm would look like if I knew anything about guns. It sucked both times, but I lived.
I try to live by the “Sh*t Happens…I’ll live” mentality. When a gun is pointed at you, that’s when you really need to say “Sh*t Happens…Hopefully, I’ll live.”
I think you should add the following to your lessons I learned:
Life can end any moment…Live it up
Just a thought
Dave
LifeExcursion & The Minimalist Path
.-= Dave – LifeExcursion´s last blog ..Preview of How to Survive a Half Marathon =-.
Heya Dave!
Yeah thats the thing about guns, it can turn the most wimpy,sneaky, insecure weam man into one who decides who lives and who dies. It’s a cowardley thing I think.
Totally true, life CAN end at any moment. Maybe another way to go through an experience like this is having the belief that you will only go when it is your time. If it is meant to be then you will go, and if it is not, then you will live
Thanks for stopping by !
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Valerie Mondesir. Valerie Mondesir said: What you can learn from the day I was hijacked at gun-point http://bit.ly/CScFx via @upgradereality [...]
Hey Diggy, interesting story. The only time someone tried to stole my wallet I was able to negotiate, but it didn’t have a gun in his hand, so I don’t know how it feels.
Anyway I’m happy for you that your insurance paid for your car.
.-= Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..10,000 Euros/Month September Update =-.
Hey Oscar!
Haha, I can totally picture it, some mugger trying to steal your wallet and you negotiating with him.
“Yo man, let me keep my cards, you don’t need them, and let me keep the wallet, just take the cash, but leave me enough for a bus ride home”
Cheers!
HAHAH, no I actually I told him (them) that I needed the cash to buy meds for my family.
.-= Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..10,000 Euros/Month September Update =-.
Whoa, I just came across this website now and somehow landed on this story. I felt like I was in an action movie for a second. I’m glad you’re safe Diggy. Can I ask where this was held? I’m getting scared looking outside my neighborhood…
.-= Tristan Lee´s last blog ..Important Reasons Why You Should Cut Your Time =-.
Hey Tristan!
Welcome to upgradereality:) Glad to have you!
I’ve seen you comment a lot on Glen’s PluginID
I live in Cape Town South Africa. I’m sure there are bad neighbourhoods in every country, just do some research and ask some people, and stay out of those neighbourhoods if you can
Cheers for stopping by!
OR build some sort of respect in your city. I did it when I was 16 without doing may bad things
.-= Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..10,000 Euros/Month September Update =-.
Gutted Digs but having a plan is important.
The very reason why I have a two current accounts when abroad. One with most of my money in that can only be accessed from my computer with a significant amount of codes and one active acount that I can use a card with – My active account never has more than about £200 in it at any one time so If I do get into trouble I can let them have the card and a small amount of money.
Hey Jonny!
Whatsup man?
Very smart! You should write a post about that. I have not done that yet but I think if I go traveling by myself I will hook that up. Sounds like a good and careful plan
Thanks bro!
Brave man for telling such a crazy story. I’ve been held a gun point before. Not a great experience at all, all i had was 20 dollars and a pack of gum. Nothing to be happy about at least im alive i say right? Experiences like this keep me in a state of gratitude each and every day. Thanks for such a inspiring story man, keep you head up.
Sweet post.
.-= Positive Gangsta´s last blog ..Never Give Up Unless Your In The Grave =-.
Hey Mr Gangsta!
Yeah totally happy to be alive, I guess that matters most!
Thanks for stopping by and happy you enjoyed the story:)
Cheers Bro
Diggy,
Like everyone else, I’m glad you were ok. It’s unfortunate that things like this occur. My friend recently had some drugged up guy trying to rob his house, and I’ve had experiences where I had a person chase me in a road rage incident.
Thanks for the reminder that we all need to be cautious!
Ken
.-= Ken Kurosawa´s last blog ..How to Increase Your Reading Speed and Retention =-.
Heya Ken!
Thanks! There are some crazy people in this world, I’ve had a few people chase me out of roag rage too, one time it was because he was driving super slow, so I overtake him and hoot, and then he starts chasing me! Lol! Drove to a police station and then nothing happened.
Cheers for stopping by!
Hellooo
I’m glad you’re fine Diggy and everything’s resolved!
What a experience and a great lesson too!
I think it was occurred just for you share the lesson. We can’t predict a lot of cases but we can manage the way we feel it and then, with more consciouness, our attitude will keep us safe. A good place or a good time is there when first we’re feeling well. It means being the lucky ones! Very intersting how you felt before and during the jacking of a car that you love! It must be said, a thing belongs to that person who really love it!
You said you was watching a movie before, do you remember what kind of a movie it was? Even so life is absolutely more intersting than any movie because in cases like this the main characters can win without to make any violent act.
Thank you for everything!!
I am sure you’ll have all the luck on every decisions you take.
All the best,
Kiss
Tania
ps- Anything i’ll notice you;)
Tania!
How you doing miss?
I really like how you say that, a thing belongs to the person who really loves it. I don’t remember what movie it was no. Yeah, we are all the moviestars in our own movies of life, pretty cool huh?
Thanks for the kind words and beautiful comment!
Have an amazing day!
Diggy
Wow, Diggy. I’m so sorry to hear of what happened to you, but I’m glad you’re okay. Your experience brings me back to a principle that I try to live by–enjoy life in the now because you have no idea what is right around the corner. Another thing that your experience brings to mind is the importance of being more aware. Most of us have become so accustomed to putting our attention on our gadgets and everything that we have no room to listen to that inner voice that will let us know when danger (or even opportunity) is approaching.
.-= Nea | Self Improvement Saga´s last blog ..50 Regrets and the Life Lessons to Learn From Them =-.
Nea
Welcome to Upgradereality!
Thanks fo leaving such a cool comment! I am totally a supporter of that idea, living life every moment, because you never know when it ends, things happen so suddenly.
What you mention that is missing in our lives today is what people in the Zen world would refer to as awareness, knowing what is going on in the surroundings, training our minds to take note of everything around us.
I would like to become better at that too!
Have a cool cool day!
Great story Diggy.
I often think of how brief moments can irrevocably change our entire future. You could have been beaten, shot or even killed. We might not be having this conversation now.
Every moment needs to be cherished!
.-= John Bardos – JetSetCitizen´s last blog ..We Live in Amazing Times! =-.
Heya John!
Yeah totally true, life can totally change in just a few seconds. One decision can change your entire future.
Thanks for stopping by