Positive Reinforcement, or Fighting Terrorism part 2

When training animals for complex and difficult tasks, including movie stunts or discreet spy-type surveillance, the most successful animal trainers use a form of positive reinforcement. This is generally done with a device called a "clicker", because, as you may have guessed, it produces a clicking sound. Rather than training the animals what they should not do, they reward them for going in the direction desired, associating the click with a reward.

In short, when training an animal, it can do one of two things: either what you want it to do, or what you don't want it to do. In the case of the latter, by saying "Don't do that", you have merely eliminated one of many possible actions. The animal still does not know what you want it to actually do. By working in small increments, and rewarding each correct action, you are able to train an animal to do far more complex tasks, as well as train it quicker . For more information, you can go to the wikipedia article on clicker training, or www.clickertraining.com.


So what does this have to with fighting terrorism?


I recently posted an article on world peace on the Winnipeg Free Press faith site (http://www.wfpfaith.com/article/75/the-pieces-of-peace). Naturally, this got me thinking a bit more about the articles below on "fighting terrorism". I had briefly thought about posting the article here, but realized a link is much easier, and it encourages people to visit this other site.

So, again, what does this have to with fighting terrorism?

There are so many issues inherent within this question that it is difficult for me to separate them. I am not an expert on terrorism, nor do I claim to have any solution. What I do claim is that the perspective I offer will assist those who are aware of the intricacies of the problem to find a more effective solution than what we currently have.

This perspective, as often repeated in my public talks and various writings, requires identifying the spiritual principals involved in the situation, as well as the positive values that need to be added to achieve the desired outcome. Many other solutions that are put forth involve what I call "trying to remove the darkness".


The natural question is "Does this really work?" I do not expect anyone to believe that it can work for terrorists, or humanity in general, "just because it works for some animals". Here is a real life, human example:

When working with children at the Turtle Island Community Centre in Winnipeg, Canada, the friends use positive reinforcement to help guide them. They do not chastise the children if they are acting badly, nor do they punish. They will remove a child if they are acting violently, and are a danger to others, but in general, the children behave very well because, after a few years of seeing what goes on there, they want to be there. They are guided to virtuous behaviour, and rewarded for it by either simple praise or a virtue card. For more information, check out this article: http://news.bahai.org/story/453.

The chilodren at this centre are called "high risk". This means that they are more likely than the average child to end up in gangs, on drugs, or on the streets. The children that have taken part in this program, however, have shown the moral capacity to make decisions and act in a way that is more likely to help them contribute to their community, rather than diminish it. They are helping out in the centre in many ways, from helping integrate younger children to cleaning up after the program is over. The best part, though, is that this behaviour appears to have transfered out of the centre, too. They are helping their parents more around the house, and more concious of the effect their actions have on the community.

This is my neighbourhood. This is my community. I have seen it work, albeit on a small scale for now.

My question is how we can apply this on a grander scale.

A quote that has helped point me in the right direction is as follows:

"Denunciations of materialism or terrorism are of no real assistance in coping with the contemporary moral crisis if they do not begin by addressing candidly the failure of responsibility that has left believing masses exposed and vulnerable to these influences."

The next article, hopefully to be posted soon, will address another area that I feel is critical in this: leadership.