| As a martial artist and an expert in behavioral | | | | a people and media which expresses and stresses |
| modification, I see a lot of illegal behaviors reinforced | | | | the negative actions of our society. No do not blame |
| by citizens. It is easy to reinforce the behavior of a | | | | society or the media. Have you attempted to do |
| criminal, give him or her your wallet, make it easy for | | | | anything about crime yourself? We have to decide, if |
| him or her to break into your house, do not call the | | | | the trouble of calling the police, reporting a break-in, a |
| police, always assume it will happen to the other | | | | mugging, a rape, or anything suspicious is worth the |
| person and not you. By making it easy for the | | | | safety of our own children and our children's children. |
| criminal to get your money, jewelry, body, or | | | | As martial artists we have another decision to make. |
| whatever he or she is after, we positively reinforce | | | | Do we stand by and allow another person or |
| their negative behavior by allowing the criminal to | | | | ourselves to be mugged or raped, or do we help |
| have instant gratification of his or her actions without | | | | that person, at the risk of our own lives. The first |
| any consequences to the negative behavior. | | | | way, we may make society safer for our children, |
| As martial artists, we have even more responsibility. | | | | but then our children may never see us again. The |
| The very act of taking martial arts lessons, implies | | | | second way, we allow another human being to be |
| that we are aware that crime may happen to us or | | | | injured or killed and aid in corrupting our future. Even |
| our loved ones. As martial artists, we should have | | | | a shout, yelling that someone called the police or the |
| taken steps to decrease the chances of crime, | | | | police are on there way is better than doing nothing. |
| making criminals "work" harder for their "reward". | | | | I received permission to reprint this with hopes it will |
| Reward here is being defined as a positive | | | | make us think |
| reinforcement of a behavior whether that action is a | | | | Please visit The National Karate & Kobudo |
| positive or negative behavior in the eyes of our | | | | Federation for some excellent martial arts articles |
| society. Unfortunately in most cases, if the criminal | | | | DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN: |
| finds bars on the window he or she just goes to the | | | | God has a way of allowing us to be in the right place |
| next house. That small amount of time, however, | | | | at the right time. I was walking down a dimly lit |
| could be the determining factor as to whether or not | | | | street late one evening when I heard muffled |
| that criminal is caught. | | | | screams coming from behind a clump of bushes. |
| Obviously, criminals have peers and friends, some of | | | | Alarmed, I slowed down to listen and panicked when |
| these may also be criminals. If you are in a classroom | | | | I realized that what I was hearing was the |
| of first graders and one of the first graders has | | | | unmistakable sounds of a struggle: heavy grunting, |
| ice-cream, what question is more than likely going to | | | | frantic scuffling and tearing of fabric. |
| be asked by every first grader there who doesn't | | | | Only yards from where I stood, a woman was being |
| have ice-cream? Need I say it? At this point who is | | | | attacked. Should I get involved? I was frightened for |
| the center of attention and being rewarded by the | | | | my own safety and cursed myself for having |
| attention of his peers for having ice-cream? Yes, the | | | | suddenly decided to take a new route home that |
| first grader with the ice-cream is being rewarded with | | | | night. |
| attention for having the ice-cream. The first grader | | | | What if I became another statistic? Shouldn't I just |
| will brag about how he or she got the ice-cream and | | | | run to the nearest phone and call the police? |
| the other students will do the same thing to acquire | | | | Although it seemed an eternity, the deliberations in |
| ice-cream as well. | | | | my head had taken only seconds, but already the |
| Too simple of an example? "I mean come on Rick | | | | cries were growing weaker. I knew I had to act fast. |
| we're talking about responsible adults here not | | | | How could I walk away from this? No, I finally |
| children. That's different right?" No, it's not. As adults, | | | | resolved, I could not turn my back on the fate of |
| we still receive positive and negative reinforcements, | | | | this unknown woman, even if it meant risking my |
| many of us enjoy being the center of attention, | | | | own life!! |
| belonging to a group, and being recognized for our | | | | I am not a brave man, nor am I athletic, I do not |
| work. Oddly enough the same behavioral modification | | | | want to get involved. Will my Martial Arts training I |
| techniques used on children also work on adults (see | | | | had years ago help even though I have never used it. |
| Modern Teaching Methods of An Ancient Art for a | | | | I don't know where I found the moral courage and |
| few examples). | | | | physical strength---but once I had finally resolved to |
| By allowing criminals to receive their rewards for their | | | | help the girl, I became strangely transformed. |
| negative behaviors we are positively reinforcing their | | | | I ran behind the bushes and pulled the assailant off |
| criminal behavior and motivating others to follow the | | | | the woman. Grappling, we fell to the ground, where |
| same behavioral pattern since others do not see any | | | | we wrestled for a few minutes until the attacker |
| consequences of the original criminals actions, only a | | | | jumped up and escaped. Panting hard, I scrambled |
| chance for immediate gratification. | | | | upright and approached the girl, who was crouched |
| Just because a criminal robbed someone with a knife | | | | behind a tree, sobbing. In the darkness, I could barely |
| and did not stab the victim this time, does not mean | | | | see her outline, but I could certainly sense her |
| the criminal will not stab the victim the next time. | | | | trembling shock. Not wanting to frighten her further, I |
| The odds of any criminal killing someone while | | | | at first spoke to her from a distance. "It's OK," I said |
| threatening the victim with deadly aggression | | | | soothingly. "The man ran away. You're safe now." |
| increases the more crimes the criminal commits. By | | | | There was a long pause and then I heard the words, |
| giving that criminal your wallet and not calling the | | | | uttered in wonder, in amazement. |
| police, by not reporting that you have been raped, | | | | "Daddy, is that you?" And then, from behind the |
| by not pressing charges when you have been | | | | tree, stepped my youngest daughter, Katherine!!. Do |
| attacked, reinforces that criminal behavior and that | | | | all the good you can, In all the ways you can, in all |
| criminal will strike again. More importantly, without | | | | the places you can, at all times you can, to all the |
| consequences for the criminal's negative behavior, | | | | people you can, as long as you ever can. |
| this behavior will be copied by others and you will be | | | | -End letter |
| responsible for not helping to stop that criminal, an | | | | I cannot stress this enough, our actions, will have a |
| increase in crime, and for the next string of victims. | | | | direct effect on our children's safety and our |
| This has a direct effect on our children, both in | | | | grandchildren's safety. We are the one's who decide |
| keeping our children safe, from an ever growing | | | | what type of society, crime-ridden or crime-free our |
| population of criminals due to our own | | | | children are going to live in. When someone is |
| lackadaisicalness and negligence, and in raising our | | | | attacked or robbed and does nothing about it, that |
| children to be good men and women surrounded by | | | | has an effect on your child. |