Toastmasters Competent Communicator Manual Speech 3 – Get to the point!

Safety First!  Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Willingly or unwillingly, today we are all victims, slaves of corporate employer agreements. We are Prisoners of wired cables and wireless networks. After all we are advocates of modern technology. Our strained life from a typical Monday to Friday is the Testimony. Interestingly to sentence our term on how to approach the life, is with us who are the Judiciary.

One of the popular escapades out of this vicious prison amongst today’s youngsters is Trekking. That’s an amazing activity. Their experiences are amazing, Jaw dropping. They explore beautiful places, discover new routes and make new Friends. They travel the roads that are less travelled.

In the same time, they expose themselves to nature’s dangers voluntarily! As they say, the danger is a surprise devil.

Please raise your hands if you are a trekker. Wow! That’s an impressive number of trekkers we have here. How many of you have faced a dangerous situation in one of your trekking trips? At least you might have heard one. See, what did I say? You must be lucky to be alive today, being with your loved ones.

Though trekkers are becoming more aware of the preparation required, risks involved the counts of deaths in these trekking trips are going north. Yes, that’s a fact no one can’t argue!

So, I have come across a list of safety pointers for those who have trekking as a hobby.

THINGS TO DO:

Preparation

Where the preparation starts? It starts with your interest. Whether you want to do trekking or mountaineering or diving. Know the place. Choose the place carefully. Research the place. Know its altitude. Know its weather condition. Know its water sources. Look place at the Map. See photographs. Read reviews of the previous trekkers. Take printouts of the routes. Memorize the names of the nearby villages. Get proper permissions before entering the forests. Many of them are reserved forests. Beware of the danger involved. Take only calculated risks. Calculate your safety quotient and then choose the place.

Company

Go only with friends or known companions. They only will have definite interests to help you if you are in danger. Know about the leader who leads the trip. Understand his experience. Discuss with him on the complete action plan from the start to end of the activity, mainly about the return plan. Always be with the group. Tell your parents and close friends on where you are going. Tell them with whom are you going. Share their contact numbers. Share the leaders’ number too. Question multiple times if you are with the right team in the right place.

Essentials for the trip

Now this is very important. Things that are carried after understanding the location and its geographical dynamics would save your life for sure when you are in danger. There can’t be a one best list for essentials. But mostly GPS mobile phone, water bottles, Knives, Torch light, first aid kit, survival kit, match box, whistle, high-visibility clothing, proper footwear, packed foods, mosquito nets, required but only prescribed tablets. More importantly, you need to know what to use and when to use.

THINGS NOT TO DO:

• Awwwwww….Hoo…hoo… HEeeee..eeeeee!!! Don’t scream like Aliens. You might welcome danger. Also you will lose energy soon. Be contained.
• You are not competing for the last women on earth. Trekking is not the place you need to prove others that you are better than them. Jumping into the water from 50 mts height top will not get you a gold medal.
• Counting numbers under water, taking mud from the depth of water, screaming and chasing each other like school kids in an unknown territory all are simply risky things to do.
• Don’t fire up things unnecessarily. Once you are about to leave a place, be sure to put out the fire completely. You might save a wildfire.
• You are not a Tarzan. Do not tease animals that are of any size. For example Honey Bees. Stay away from them and leave them in peace. Or be guaranteed you will lose your peace.
• And next comes the adventurous photographs we see on Facebook! Taking pictures while jumping from the mountain top, creeping through the cave holes, or from top of a big tree are all simply risky.

Unfortunately with God’s will, if something bad happened like an injury or accident, please take an effort to inform the person’s family or friends the whereabouts of the location and guide them to the place. Don’t just vanish from the scene.

Today the reason for me to choose this topic is I have lost one of my very own friends couple of weeks ago. He is a young R&D engineer, the only child for his parents, who is about to be married in 6 months. A disturbed swarm of wild honey bees have chased their gang with ferocious attacks. To save from the attack this guy has ran and jumped into a water base where he was drowned to death. He didn’t know swimming. Now is there anything in the world that can console his parents? They couldn’t think on how to lead their life will be without him.

Trekking is a great hobby, no denying. Just that we need to be sure and aware of the risks involved.

Now many of you might have already thought of these and carefully taken proper precautions for your next trekking trip. All I wish for aspirers is their personal safety. Nothing else, nothing else is important for us, for our family, friends, loved ones than our personal safety.

Safety first!