A few weeks ago I attended the presentation by Erik Albinson. I had heard this presentation before in RA training, but it was not any less moving. He touches on some really hard, deep-down scary issues. One could spend a lifetime learning about these and hoping to understand them. He also brought up other points, too.

One theory he talks about I find very interesting: the broken window theory. If one window in a building is broken and is not fixed, eventually all the windows will be broken. The story he shared was were a mayor decreased crime in a large city by 70% by simply painting the subway trains every morning to eliminate the graffiti and arresting those who jumped over the toll wheels.

I have always believed that small acts make giant impacts, and this incident definitely confirms that. By offering a small gesture of kindness or a simple act of leadership, we can have a lasting effect on the world around us. This idea really makes me happy. It also makes me wonder why there are so many problems with hate and crime. Supposedly it could all be prevented by a few simple gestures. This seems to be a thought process that could go round and round in circles forever.