thieves

[SHATOUSHKA]

i feel a pity for people that steal. this
pity is usually backed by sympathy as well
as some understanding for the reasons to
steal.

there are plenty of reasons to take something
that does not belong to you.... sometimes
it merely for the thrill of stealing or
getting caught that inspires someone to
steal, but most of the time, it's the
greed and illusion generated by a capitolistic
society that causes a person to feel oppressed
by their immediate situation and typically
feels no other resolution than to just take
something that will either aid them in
their plight or give them new happiness
to buffer their suffering.

now i'm not talking about faceless corporations
that steal thousands or millions from other
faceless corporations (though i will admit
that eventually the common man will feel
the pinch).. i'm talking about the typical
theft that occurs day-to-day amongst our
members in neighboring communities.

to an extent, capitalism cripples a person
to the extent that you can never catch up
with your debts and theft is a quick end-all
to many tight situations regardless of it's
ethical complications.

but that's just it, isn't it? the ethics...

we could argue back and forth a million
different ways that there are certain
circumstances that makes stealing ok or,
at very least, makes the act of stealing
a bit more pleasant.

we've all heard stories of people caught in
grocery stores basically weighed down with
various food items, stolen to feed some
starving family members. probably some
people would cynically retort this action
with a ridiculous comment of: "all stealing
is wrong. this person should have just gotten
anther job if money was that tight."

but in certain situations, its not that easy.
with sacrifices come bigger sacrifices that
aren't that easy to push beneath the rug.
this calls to mind simple morals and social
pressures that have to be sacrificed...
such as the second job scenario -- sure they
could get a second job... but is it ok to
sacrifice family time in order to work to
earn the money to cover the expenses?

meh... that scenario has so many complications
and variables that it would take a long time
to adequately argue it down to the nub.

but again, i'm not referring to theft of
need. i'm talking about theft for superficial
reasons... theft of items that cannot
guarantee a large reward in some environment.

~ ~ ~ ~

the last time i had something stolen from
me was many years ago. i had just worked
3 15-hour days and secured my future monthly
debts with the money i had earned. that
money was stolen directly from me on the
last night i came home. while i did feel
a great loss due to the theft, i tried
my hardest to get it back... ultimately
failing in this attempt.

at that time, while the loss was huge, it
wasn't that big of a deal because i was
working at a great job. although i would
eventually face time-urgent bills and
dance around due dates, it was really no
problem securing the additional money to
make up for the money i had lost.

years have passed since that night and
situations have also changed. a few days
ago i had something stolen that just
cannot be replaced in the same way that
i had replaced the stolen money years ago.

something of sentimental value....

to those of you that know of the item,
i'm sure you could easily say that its
just an item and can be repurchased. true...
you are correct. (though i doubt any of
you would say something like that to me)

the difference in this theft is not about
monetary value nor is it about the item
itself but moreso, the circumstances around
the ownership of this item that cause
great pains to me.

i worked hard for this item... and for a
reason that i cannot express on this board.
while it is true that this item could have
been protected (and therefore, not stolen)
the fact of the matter is that it was
stolen... and the subsequent feelings i've
had ever since.

the money i lost many years ago could have
purchased 5 more items just like the one
i had stolen. it's the fact that this item
meant a great deal to me... and quite
honestly, it makes me sick to my stomach
to relive its absence everyday since.

not only did the thief steal this item,
but all the meaning it possessed for me.
perhaps this is just a lesson in pride,
i'm not sure. perhaps i deserve having
reality show me that you shouldn't put so
much feeling into an inanimate object.
but i did... and it really upsets me.

it boggles my mind to sit and contemplate
the reasons why this person decided to
steal what they had stolen. i cannot seem
to understand why. perhaps it was easy.
perhaps they thought that this item could
be easily replaced and therefore, no feeling
could be lost that also couldn't be
supplimented with the purchase of a new one.

ok, sure.

i *can* work and get a new one. i *can*
ultimately build upon this situation and,
in getting a new one, give the item an
even greater sentimental value. but its
about the feelings i have now and the
sensations of ridiculous failure and
strain i feel because of the recent event.

i won't lie. i have been so terribly upset
over this that i have cried... many times.
it's almost embarrassing to say that because
i know it can be replaced. but its a
vacant feeling to have something taken
from you... a vacant unknown that you cannot
just overcome with wishful thinking.

this situation has possessed me to the point
that i keep thinking i'll see it somewhere
in public, and the (strange) sensation of
utter joy that i would receive upon seeing
it again... as if i were reunited with
a friend i hadn't seen in many years.

gay, huh?

~ ~ ~

i feel sympathy to the person that took it.
perhaps they needed it more than i did.
perhaps they found a value in it that i just
didn't find. perhaps they just wanted to
sell it, i have no idea. what i do know,
is that whatever their reason, they took it.

i have no doubt that this person has to deal
with their conscience... because i know that
when you steal something, you are confronted
with the proverbial 'right' and 'wrong'
element that you decide upon just prior to
your actions.

i'm sorry that this person, whomever they
are, was in a predicament so unyielding
that they had to steal to overcome or buffer
it.

i know that the flyers and newspaper ad
i have put out will not ensure a return of
my item. i'm trying my hardest to come to
terms with that reality. i feel a great
confliction knowing that i have done all
that i can do... but feel that i have fallen
short. it bothers me greatly to know that
my item is out there somewhere... existing...
and i no longer have it.

but i'm trying my hardest to give acceptance
to that fact... and to allow understanding
to the circumstances pinning a person to
take what is not theirs.

i grieve... but maybe they are grieving too.

[The Reverend Dark Angel]

Find em', Kneecap em'! Sherlock style!

[Blazey]

Yes, It can be replaced and it will be the same as before in some eyes maybe even better but to you,it wont ever be the same...I can understand that. Its a shame that these things happen but i guess i have to stop and say...its not worth what you already have..be thankful it was only the "item" and not something that cannot ever be replaced.. [img]graemlins/soccer.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/pizza.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rainbow.gif[/img]

[Babi BootifuL]

[img]frown.gif[/img]

[NicKKK]

.. i can relate.

[wildnthewind]

Perhaps you can look at it this way...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
They were hungry, and used it as a medium of exchange for [img]graemlins/pizza.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/pizza.gif[/img] and a few of these [img]graemlins/beer.gif[/img] or this a [img]graemlins/present.gif[/img] for someone..

[SHATOUSHKA]

i hope they rot in hell

[stingger]

what did they pinch ?

[wildnthewind]

I didn't think you believed in such a place. [img]graemlins/devil.gif[/img]

If so........ Chances are there might be a heaven?? [img]graemlins/angel.gif[/img]

[SHATOUSHKA]

my dignity