Can we feel safe in a crowd anymore?

(CNN) -- the aftermath of the massacre in Aurora, Colorado, various pundits and experts will ask anyone can feel safe enough to enjoy a concert or movie. It's not unreasonable question.

The answer sounds distant and cool, it is empirically correct: Murders concerts, movie theatres and sporting venues are statistically small the sheer number of persons who attend them.

They are rarely caused by people have a grievance to settle another patron or fan; they are more commonly caused by people profound mental illness who recently experienced negative milestones their life, such as a divorce or mental . They
revenge, but have no specific target. They seek to incur maximum lethal damage in to be memorialized. In short, by causing untold pain to strangers, they are to achieve whatever notoriety or accomplishment that eluded previously.

It will weeks, if not months, for us to understand the motivations this crime as well as whether the suspect, James Holmes, shared signals with others advance, such as on a blog or friends. That he was in the process of withdrawing an esteemed graduate program in neurosciences is probably insignificant. The question that parents, friends and all of us now seek an answer — "Why?" — parallels the very same questions posed the aftermath of Columbine, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood and the nearly 200 public shootings that have occurred the past 10 years in the United States .

The challenge all of us is whether we will choose to avoid movies, festivals, state fairs and other activities of fear, or whether we will choose to be aware and alert also enjoying ourselves at these events.

We should remember that the citizens of New York, after an appropriate grieving post 9/11, chose to return to Broadway, the subway, shop Fifth Avenue and yes, commiserate the loss of friends and strangers— rather than isolating themselves group fear. We can learn from them: Through prayer and reflection, we remember victims. Through our actions and refusing to be intimidated by assassins, we are like those have lived in Israel, Northern Ireland or Bali in the midst of terrorist events. We must re-engage, with heightened awareness.

I have studied more than 2,800 attacks civilians at workplaces since 1981 and have helped many Fortune 500 companies identify persons risk before they pursued or homicide. Here are some of the lessons I would share you:

• Your intuition is a gift. If you yourself in a public venue where someone, or something, seems out of , act without hesitation to leave. Those who linger can engage what medical specialists call "milling" — a sense of "this can't be happening me." Think about those who fled the Pentagon immediately upon guessing that a plane had crashed their building in 2001, likely saving their lives.

• Your plan of safety cannot improvised. When you attend any public event, and that includes a service in a house of worship or Olympic event, routinely look for and remember the location of exits advance. If a perpetrator enters through an exit, as in the Aurora shooting, a group assault the individual may be the only tangible way to end a massacre. A few may lose their lives, but many others will spared. It is these moments, in the military or civilian life, heroes emerge.

• Pay attention signals. Year after year, according to my research, about 70% of those who suicide or homicide have told someone in advance of possible intentions. If you sense that someone may be a path to violence, contact enforcement and allow them to manage the situation. They are experts and know how to address people mental illness, substance abuse, anger and related issues.


Adapted from: CNN, July 20, 2012.