Finding a sense of security, who or whatever you are
With no prior planning, I’ve a silk tassel bush in my garden (a Garrya Elliptica if you’re into formality). And behind it, there’s a bunch of seriously prickly small trees.
Next to the silk tassel bush I’ve some bird feeders. And, watching birds munching through the seeds and nuts, I found myself wondering how big a factor security is for them.
Other than being a source of food, do they like my feeders because they like the security provided by the bush and trees they’re next to? Is the fact that the small trees are prickly a factor? I’d guess, yes – at least against cats. And the density of the prickly trees must deter some other hunters too – the bigger birds of prey.
That in turn made me wonder about my security. I saw an interview with a reformed house burglar a while back. He explained that he’d be put-off approaching a house by – among other things – if there were prickly plants and bushes around it. As he pointed out, there’s always another house to raid that won’t be so painful.
There are other factors to add to the security mix. Your neighbourhood and neighbours must count: will anyone notice – and challenge – a stranger who’s looking suspicious? Presumably, the post-Covid rise in the number of people working from home must have made a difference in this regard.
Of course, there’s the option of outside lighting and how exposed anyone might feel if they approach somewhere. For both indoor and outdoor lights, you can buy and use timers without too much outlay and that must help things. Security cameras are a possibility but this is adding more to costs. And curtains and blinds can be a trickier one to get right. I suppose you have to assume that most burglaries will happen at night and set things up accordingly. Even if it’s possible, I suspect automating curtains and blinds to open and close would be very expensive.
Thinking about it, mildly depressing as it is, it does all make sense. It’s sobering to ponder what it is that’s actually depressing. Does it boil down to human nature that you’re trying to secure your property against? Is human nature a product of circumstances? Would there be no need for security measures if we all had all we wanted; if we weren’t striving to acquire stuff (by fair means or foul)? That’s all to think about (and act upon). And perhaps, too, there’s something to be learned from the similarities between human lives and the lives of other animals. Life. It’s always more complicated than you first think!
