The "My Bad 20"

Self preservation is a broad idea relating to keeping yourself safe. Self defense is the end of that timeline, when you have no other choice but to take action to save yourself. But there are so many things "left of bang" that require deeper thought on the part of someone considering arming themselves for self defense.

"Left of Bang" is a term used to describe what happens before an incident. It is the lead up, the preamble, the setting of the stage. It's all the things that came together to put you in the situation you are in. The best part about left of Bang thinking is that it pushes us to disrupt the chain of events that put us in a bad situation.

Saying, "I'm gonna leave" when a rowdy group of bikers come into the bar is LOB thinking. So is avoiding the sketchy gas station in the middle of the night. By far one of my favorites though, it's the "my bad 20".

The My Bad 20 is a $20 bill specifically put away for the purpose of smoothing over an issue. You bumped into somebody and spilled their drink, or maybe somebody thinks you were talking bad about them. The 20 is there to iron out the social friction before it gets worse. It's an apology, a paying of respects or whatever it needs to be to make the problem go away. Buy a round of drinks. Get them a basket of fries. Do something that makes them like you more. And then, don't bother sticking around! Pay your tab. And don't be around when the next issue arises.