5 Things I Learned After Getting Mugged
I guess the title kind of says it all. I was on my way to a friend’s place when I was mugged by four men. It was on a dimly lit street just after seven o’clock. It started with one of the guys punching me in the head, proceeded to them taking everything I had on me which included phone, iPod, money, and ID, and ended with the same guy punching me again and then the gang running off. I flagged down a guy riding his bike right afterwards and asked him to call the cops. The cops searched the area, I gave a statement, but as far as I know, the fuckers escaped and are out there somewhere. Although writing all of that down was kind of nice, this is mostly about telling what I’ve learned from the whole situation, so here it goes.
1. It is better not to put up a fight
In my case, it was four against one, so I wouldn’t have had much of a shot anyways. But in any case of getting mugged, you don’t know what the fucker has in his pockets or tucked away in his belt. I’m in England so a gun isn’t very probable, but is a couple hundred bucks and a few days of inconvenience really worth potentially getting stabbed or blinded or even a broken bone? At the time of the mugging, I would’ve answered “hell yes” because anything would’ve been better than standing there feeling like a helpless bitch. But now that I’ve had a little time to process it, no.
2. Cops are pretty nice when they’re helping you out
Cops get a bad reputation. I’m not a criminal, but even I never really liked the police just because of the racial profiling and busting kids for smoking a little weed, but now that they’ve helped me and acted extremely human towards me, they’re cool. They’re people with jobs to do and even all of the bad things cops have the power to do, it doesn’t outweigh all the good they actually do. So next time you see a “pig,” think of him not as the guy (or girl) beating up some minority for no good reason, but the guy who’s helping a 19 year old through what was a really shitty event.
3. You’re going to feel awful after a mugging
I like to think I’m sort of a tough guy, I don’t cry during movies usually and I’ve never been one for getting people flowers, but even that didn’t stop me from feeling like absolute shit after being robbed. It’s a feeling of violation, that somebody not only touched you without your consent, but now has put a fear into you that you’ve never felt. Every day and night is now a potential mugging in my eyes. I’m going to get a can of mace because now I feel that I need it, and I’ve never felt that way before. People are no longer generally decent and the world isn’t a beautiful place, it’s harsh. If you’re feeling this way, I think it’s pretty normal.
4. Cry it out
I didn’t cry after it happened. I didn’t cry talking to the police. I didn’t cry making my statement. It was when I called home (which is far away, across an ocean from England), when the police handed my dad the phone and he asked me what happened that I just couldn’t really contain it. Right there in front of the cop, me, the guy who likes to think of himself as a strong person emotionally, bawled my eyes out. It was because I knew that my dad felt helpless, being so far away, and that I could never explain to him what I’d been through adequately over the phone that did it. I felt bad for the police officer to have to watch me struggle on through the phone conversation with only my sweater sleeve for a tissue. But I will say that after I cried for a good ten minutes, I felt a lot better. A good cry really helps, a good cry and a good boxing session with a wall. And lastly…
5. Flip your perspective
I got mugged. I feel like I never thought I would, it’s unexplainable in a way. But hey, I’m not dead, I’m not seriously hurt besides a few bruises on my head, I have a computer so I’m not fully disconnected from the outside world, I have a support system. I’m going to be ok, and for anyone reading this that’s been in a situation even kind of like this, don’t let it get you too far down or else the muggers have something more than your wallet. They have your happiness. And no one should be able to take that, especially not a few assholes.