THEFT

At the beginning of the lecture we were asked to turn to the people sitting either side of us and give our opinions on theft. In my little group we discussed....


is stealing ever acceptable?
is petty theft still classified as theft?
have you ever stolen?


My feelings are that stealing is never acceptable, but in some circumstances i can sympathise with people who feel forced to steal. I have not stolen anything unless you count borrowing my sisters lip gloss until she demands i give it back.


The guy sitting next to me then asked me to explain what circumstances i would sympathise with somebody who stole. I wont give any names as even though he seemed extremely open about his past, i don't think it is necessary for me to put it out there. I explained that with regards to homeless people with an empty stomach and families to feed, i could understand, but not condone, why they would steal food and drink to keep them alive. (If it was hard liquor or cigarettes i would think differently.) However I also added that there are other options, for example soup kitchens, hostels and homeless shelters, and that if ever i found myself in that unfortunate situation that id like to believe i would seek help instead of stealing, but that i understood that sometimes its simply not possible. Soup kitchens and the like can only cater to so many people, and many hostels operate on a first come first served nightly basis. I always feel guilty when walking by a homeless person, even when i give them money or food. I know it's a very temporary fix for their ongoing problem. As a little girl i used to get out of my bed and lay on the wooden floor with my windows open because i felt bad that there were children out there sleeping rough when i had a whole bedroom to myself - i don't know if anybody else did that? maybe i was a strange child!


The guy sitting next to me then told me that he actually used to be homeless himself, and during that time he stole from shops in order to feed himself. He said that he knew it was wrong but that he didn't want to go hungry. I congratulated him on turning his situation around.


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