Sweat the Small Stuff

Every civilization has had certain problems. The act of bringing together a large number of people has inherent difficulties regarding how people treat each other and their environment. Such a civilization that desires peace and harmony among its citizens institutes laws governing behaviors which would be a detriment to that harmony. It's not just the big laws that are important. Obviously laws are necessary to protect people from physical harm from others. But it's not the law that plays the biggest part in prevention of crime. The law goes hand in hand with punishment, which can only be enacted after the crime is committed. A law which prohibits assault does not keep the angry person from committing assault. It punishes him after the fact.

That which plays this biggest part in prevention of crime is more fundamental. It is the societal taboo system at work. When society as a whole frowns upon and takes seriously those crimes it considers harmful to itself, societal pressures play a huge part in prevention of those crimes. A person who knows that everyone will think poorly of his actions is less likely to perform a criminal act. When those societal strictures break down, when apathy rears its head and removes those barriers, the pressure to act responsibly is relieved, allowing a greater number of crimes to take place without retribution.

Malcolm Gladwell hits this point quite well in his book, 'The Tipping Point', when he discusses crime and the standard of living in New York City in the 1980's. Mr. Gladwell points out that crime has a certain epidemic quality to it, and much like your chances are increased of getting sick if you don't take care of the little things (washing your hands and bathing regularly, getting enough vitamins daily), when you allow the little crimes to slide without repercussions on the criminals then you run the risk of increasing levels of serious crimes as well.

This can be seen in many places around the United States right now, though we are hardly the only country with these problems. If you wander around any number of cities; Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, etc. you can see the indicators of apathy practically everywhere. On a bright, beautifully sunny day I drove around Stockton, CA for an hour or so. I was looking for interesting architecture to shoot. Instead, I found this:



This is the problem. Not foreclosures, though they certainly contribute. Not unemployment, though that certainly adds to the problem and increases the number of people who feel they have nothing to do. The real problem leapt out at me when I stopped to shoot this scene. Apathy. The lack of concern about the small inconveniences and minor infractions lead to worsening conditions and eventually a society without those bonds which hold the center together.

In spite of advice and admonitions to 'don't sweat the small stuff', therein lies the solution. Sweat the small stuff. Make it go away. Dangerous epidemics are avoided by innoculating the citizenry with a vaccine. The efforts that go into such a widespread solution clearly indicate a desire to keep society as a whole healthy and safe. No less effort should be given to keep people safe from those minor annoyances that diminish the quality of life. Sweat the small stuff. Down with apathy!

Ah, forget it. It's not worth it.