HELLO, MI NEIGHBOUR | Is it ever OK to steal?

HELLO, MI neighbour! If you are going to steal, it must make sense. While growing up, older people would say that if you were going to be imprisoned for stealing, the loot should make sense. In other words, the man who put himself in a postion to be imprisoned for the theft of just a few hundred dollars should be “flogged with may stripes”. Their theory was that prison-sentencing thievery should positon the thief for a decent life after prison.

As I grew older, it dawned on me that those older people were childish in their thinking. Isn’t it sad that many people in our society think that way? They deliberately put themselves in harm’s way (stealing) to secure economic independence down the road. Guys, it did not work, does not work, and will not work. And try not to prove me wrong.

Apart from personal misery, stealing affects society on many social and economic levels. Whether you steal, are stolen from, or live in a society, community, home, or relationship where stealing takes place, it will cost you! Even the babe on the mother’s breast pays! Say what? Si how life guh! Stealing leads to price increases, including taxes. Stealing puts a strain on relationships and erodes trust among friends and families. Imagine the feeling of betrayal one endures in an instance where a friend or a family member steals from those in the circle. Painful! Nuh true? Yes, and stealing often leads to death.

The Good Book says many things about stealing. One of the 10 Commandments says, “Thou shalt not steal!” Full stop! The Bible continues to say that

(1) “If anyone gives a neighbour silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbour’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.”

(2) “Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”

(3) “If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed. Even a thief will be angry at anyone who tries to steal from him/her.”

DO NOT DESPISE A THIEF

And this one may sound a little tricky and that’s where I am going: men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry.... Did I hear some hungry people applauding here? Let’s ‘maths out’ this one. If a person is desperately hungry and sees food, it is highly likely that his instinct will propel him towards the food. The irrational action that could follow this instinctive move could be classified as stealing, but one could easily argue against such classification. Your thoughts?

But how should we treat with a fellow human being who stole to ease the pain of hunger, especially if no physical harm was done in the process? In a recent case at a food store in New York, the city police officers decided not to arrest a woman suspected of shoplifting but instead, paid for the items. Of course, this was not an isolated incident. The question being asked now is, should food theft by an impoverished, hungry person be classified as a crime?

Even with the availability of emergency food resources all over, anti-hunger-group officials all agree that no hungry person should be charged for food theft as programmes supplying food to the hungry are insufficient. Will they ever be sufficient? Any wonder court decisions all over the world have been handed down in favour of hungry people who stole food.

Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry …

But this one takes the cake: a former co-coworker once told me that he spent a great deal of his school days stealing education. His mother couldn’t afford the school fees and he attended classes hididing in plain view. Should he be condemmed or commended? Did stealing make sense in that instance? Your thoughts.

KINDLY HELP A NEIGHBOUR WITH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING

1. Stove, refrigerator, bed, food, help with medication, financial assistance to start a little business.

To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 876 649-9636 or deposit in acct # 351 044 276 NCB. Alternatively, send donations to Hello Neighbour C/o 53 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; Paypal/credit card: email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.