| As a martial artist and an expert in behavioral | | | | The very act of taking martial arts lessons, implies that |
| modification, I see a lot of illegal behaviors reinforced | | | | we are aware that crime may happen to us or our |
| by citizens. It is easy to reinforce the behavior of a | | | | loved ones. As martial artists, we should have taken |
| criminal, give him or her your wallet, make it easy for | | | | steps to decrease the chances of crime, making |
| him or her to break into your house, do not call the | | | | criminals "work" harder for their "reward". Reward here |
| police, always assume it will happen to the other | | | | is being defined as a positive reinforcement of a |
| person and not you. By making it easy for the criminal | | | | behavior whether that action is a positive or negative |
| to get your money, jewelry, body, or whatever he or | | | | behavior in the eyes of our society. Unfortunately in |
| she is after, we positively reinforce their negative | | | | most cases, if the criminal finds bars on the window he |
| behavior by allowing the criminal to have instant | | | | or she just goes to the next house. That small amount |
| gratification of his or her actions without any | | | | of time, however, could be the determining factor as to |
| consequences to the negative behavior. | | | | whether or not that criminal is caught. |
| As martial artists, we have even more responsibility. | | | | |