Do you believe in magic? What about teleportation? What if you were magically teleported into a 7-Eleven convenience store?
If the following reports are a sign, the chances of you getting caught in the crosshairs of a shootout are high because there are 7-Elevens everywhere. Seriously, what’s attracting these crazies to this brand of convenience?
Jan 20th 2024: Reno Police Investigating Shooting Death at 7 Eleven
Dec 29th 2023: Man arrested after allegedly shooting 7-Eleven employee during robbery in Salt Lake City
Dec 21st 2023: Man shot to death at Orlando 7-Eleven
Dec 4th 2023: Person shot, killed at 7-Eleven in Oakland…
Nov 6th 2023: 1 killed in shooting at North Nashville market
That last one hit close to home, literally.
If you are reading this from anywhere but the United States, you may be thinking. “Isn’t that a US-only problem?” or “We don’t have crazy people running around with guns.”
Burn!
Yes, for those of us living the American dream, this threat is real.
Recently I got to attend an “Active Aggressor” training at work. I was able to glean insights from ex-FBI agents and seasoned crime fighters. These individuals are part of our Office of Security to help secure our premises and protect us from external threats.
But active shooters don’t go around picking their favorite convenience store to empty their cartridges, nor do they have a grand plan to hit all the 7-Elevens in the country. Obviously, these 7-Eleven hits are random, like “pin that donkey” kind of random.
According to this training, we need to prepare for the random. Here’s how:
Be aware at all times
Scan our surroundings for at least 10-seconds
Locate at least 2 exits for an escape path
Identify some good places to hide
Make this plan with our families
This is the bare minimum requirement. How many of us actually do any of this today? Here I’m typing away at a local coffee house, sipping on my Cortado, immersed in my writing, unaware of what could happen next.
(I have located an exit. No place to hide, though.)
We tend to be extra vigilant only after we experience a traumatic incident. That’s just human nature. When the wound heals and normalcy returns, we fall back to our “all is well” mode of existence, which makes us vulnerable again. Unfortunately, in this world that we live in, we can’t afford to get caught off guard.
Sad, but true.
RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.
The hard truth is that preparation is not prevention, especially in an active shooter incident. So the FBI has published some valuable guidelines on what we must do if we were to ever get caught in the cross-fires.
Let’s face it. Until all the states in the United States implement strong gun control laws, this is the reality we live in. We can only hope that our future selves don’t have to walk around with guns holstered and crossbows slung.
Talk about preparing for the worst, have you heard of Living Funerals? In many parts of the world, this trend is on the rise. So, our next segment is all about funerals for the living.
New on Substack? Well, pull up a virtual chair and come over to My Writing Desk. Let’s chat.
Want to attend your own funeral?
Japan kicked it off in the 90s when the aging population wanted to relieve their children of the burden of a funeral after their passing. Funerals are expensive and depressing. So why have your children go through all that trouble if you can get it over with while you are still breathing. Eulogies and all— the whole nine yards. It’s called seizensō (生前葬) in Japanese, and is engrained into their culture.
A BigThink article says, “The specific origins of living funerals are difficult to trace, as rituals like these have developed independently in different cultures over time.”
South Korea started the concept of fake or mock funerals as a way of combating the country’s high rate of suicide, especially among young Koreans. Many funeral companies offer this service to help them cope with the pressures, value their lives, seek mercy and forgiveness.
Participants take funeral pictures, write letters to their loved ones, autobiographies, and their last wills. Afterward, they wear linen shrouds and lay in a sealed coffin to meditate and reflect on their lives. While in the coffin, a 'death master' covers their eyes and wraps their wrists. Fake funerals last for about four hours.1
Would you willingly allow someone to seal you in a coffin, even if it is for pretend? Well, I almost did, in Melbourne, Australia, where you can pay $$ to experience what is called a “Coffin ride”.
The ‘ride’ starts in a closed coffin, listening to the hearse drivers chatter away. Then they load you in to the back of the vehicle and you’re off banging around corners, as well as feeling the vibrations of the hearse through the bottom of the coffin. At the other end they load you in to the grave and you hear the dirt being piled on top. You also get different smells piped into the coffin throughout, from roses at the funeral home to tyre rubber when you’re in the hearse. The climax is the earthy tang of your final resting place.2
As I said, my niece and I almost signed up, but then my family wanted to do more “fun” things.
For others, it’s more personal and touching, like the story of Robert Hale, an aerospace engineer who was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2021 after contracting COVID-19. A year later, upon learning that he hasn’t got much time left, he organized his living wake. It was a farewell party for Robert to be able to say goodbye to those he cared about.3
And, there is an app for that too. MyGoodbyes was developed by James Barrett, who aims to remove the taboo around the topic of death.
It can be difficult to talk about death, especially when making real plans for what’s ahead, and sharing your wishes with friends and family. Stigma means it’s not a topic of conversation we have every day, but with a MyGoodbyes Party you get to have fun whilst discussing a really important topic which can help everyone when you die.4
This app would fall under the growing industry of DeathTech, and I wrote a deep-dive article all about it. Here’s the plug.
How DeathTech is Redefining Remembrance
In 2018, the Time Magazine reported that by 2070 the dead will outnumber the living on Facebook based on a research paper published that year. It was later estimated in 2022 that there were about 30 million dead users on Facebook. Many of them are memorialized users, which means their online life has been digitally frozen facebook-forever.
And finally, aren’t we all obsessed with crime?
On Hulu i.e. where all the best crime shows are. Whether it is the quirky crime-solving ensemble in “Only Murders In The Building” to lighten up our mood, or their collection of true-crime documentaries, Hulu is buying them all. Because crime sells.
My latest obsession is called “Death and Other Details”. The plot is well-crafted and the casting is perfect. The crime takes place on a luxury yacht in the middle of the ocean. As we are drawn into the story, the creators keep our focus entrapped on the decks where the killer walks in plain sight. It is not really a “who dunnit” crime but more of “why they dunnit”, and that's where this show excels as it peels layer after layer of motives and hidden agendas.
Go binge. Don’t miss it if you are a crime buff. Can you crack the case before they do?
Want to watch a fake funeral video? Check this out.
Read all about the Melbourne’s The Coffin Ride at the Docklands here. FYI, the last update on the FB is from 2020, so it’s quite possible they aren’t around anymore. Another pandemic victim? Maybe. But it’s really not a bad business idea to woo them thrill seekers.
“I've been given weeks to live at 33 so I threw my own 'living funeral' to give me the chance to say goodbye to my loved ones.” - this story can break your heart.
All about the MyGoodbyes app can be found here. This founder found a niche.
Sad that this is a reality in this country, but thanks for writing about it.
Also, thanks for mentioning the 9ne activity I will not partake in while visiting Melbourne. 🤣
In 1992, I was buying a couple of items at a 7-11 store in Las Vegas. I stood in line and I became impatient with the length the transaction was taking in front of me. So I focused on the magazine rack at the counter while I waited. After the customer had finished and left the cashier left her post and lock the doors and Cole please. It turns out the guy in front of me was holding her up with a gun while she emptied the drawer. I had not noticed because I was hypnotized by the magazines. Thank God! Literally, I thank God 🙏✨🙏