Dr. Mary C. McDonald
In 1982, two Sociologists published their research on the causes of crime, and the significance of deteriorating neighborhoods on the rise of crime rates. James Q. Wilson and George Kelling’s work was called The Broken Window Theory. The theory stated that “If you go into a neighborhood and you see a lot of broken windows, it tells you that nobody cares, that nobody is looking out for the neighborhood, and if you break some more windows, nobody will do anything about it.” (First Measured Century, 1960-2000, PBS). That seems an obvious perception, until you think beyond just the windows to the level of disorder in the lives of the good people living behind the broken windows, and the negative affect of those contributing to that disorder. Breaking the window is not the real crime, lessening the quality of life is. Seemingly insignificant actions are signals of more serious and long-term consequences.
With crime rates soaring in the 1980’s and 90’s police departments across the country adopted the Broken Windows Theory almost as a last resort. The most famous example is New York City. New York, like many large urban centers, became a dangerous place. The level of social disorder had risen to a fevered pitch and the signs of crime were everywhere. City officials, overwhelmed by the rise of serious crime, decided to address what, to many, seemed almost insignificant in the face of such chaos. They focused on the signs of crime, on the details of the quality of life. They wanted to put good people back on the streets, back in the parks, back on the subways, and have bad people find it difficult to take advantage of them. They wanted to reclaim the quality of life in the city.
They began their efforts by repairing broken windows, cleaning up vacant lots, painting over graffiti, lighting streets, arresting fare-beaters in subways, fining jay-walkers and those who littered. Public places were no longer places to avoid, and good people started to feel safe and protected. Bad people felt threatened, and those seduced by criminal activity had second thoughts. It worked. New York became a kinder, gentler place. Of course, there were other socio-economic factors that came into play, but, without the focus on the details that affect the quality of life, the disastrous effects of the slow evolution of social decay could have had a greater negative impact, than did the swift destruction of the World Trade Center.
The Broken Window Theory does not have to be limited to crime in the city. It can be relevant in our own lives as a personal philosophy, a preferred way of thinking. When life changing crisis occurs; the catastrophic illness, job loss, divorce, death of a loved one, you almost instantly spring into action. You are rallied by your faith, supported by your family and friends, carried by their love until you can stand on your own. But what happens when the change is more incremental? What happens when you become desensitized to the subtle changes that lessen the quality of your life, and the lives of our children? What happens when you live in the world with your eyes averted, and your lips silent?
Saying “times change” should not be synonymous with “Get used to immorality, pornography and lies.” The quality of life is not about where you live, but how you live. If things can change for the worse, then they can also change for the better. I thought about one of the changes we experienced over the past twenty years that is not a change for our young people, but just the way things are. Once, the web was something for spiders. Now, it is a place where our children live. Their neighborhoods are virtual communities of common interest, not shared physical space. They have universal access to everyone, and everyone has access to them, for better or worse. The Internet is a good neighborhood, but I’ve noticed some broken windows. Cyber bullying, easy access to sites for pornography, cult rage and dysfunctional behavior of all kinds posted for all to see are “windows” in need of repair.
What other “broken windows” in society, in what entertains you, in the way you treat others, have you become used to? What are the windows in your daily life, windows you hardly notice, that are in need of repair? These windows you can only fix from the inside out, if you have the courage to notice them. These are the broken windows of envy, greed, gossip, anger, dishonesty and self-indulgence. These broken windows, if not repaired, can subtly and slowly lead to broken homes, broken relationships with friends and co-workers, and broken lives. If the city of New York can dramatically reduce serious crime by starting with just fixing broken windows, just think of what repairing the “broken windows” in our lives will do for us.
Now that I think about it, the Broken Window Theory, the idea of paying attention to small things that affect the quality of life, might not be so revolutionary after all. In fact, if you’re not really good at home repair, I can tell you where you can find the instructions to fix any “broken window” in you life. Check out the Gospel of Mark, Chapter five. It begins with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…
