A thief by any other name would smell just as rotten!

Bad smell in the air

The recent riots in London it seems were provoked by nothing more than boredom and unrest amongst the youth. Also I believe it’s a symptom of a malaise that builds up when the youth are confined to concrete surroundings and the sun shines down on the pollution  - that’s summer in the city!

Heat, pollution, boredom or  youthful discontent is no excuse for looting and thieving. It’s noteworthy that the most sought after items were electrical goods consisting of laptops and mobile phones. My guess is that 90% of the rioters were male and I have written in previous posts regarding the problem of unbridled testosterone. I will not dwell on that issue here.

Theft is theft. It is a feeling of deprivation that the perpetrator feels before the start of his crime spree and later exchanges with his victim. To take something that doesn’t belong to you is a publicity stunt. You are publicising the fact that you’re not worthy to receive by any means but foul.

Stealing is an age old practice. Since Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden – over the robbing of an apple from a forbidden tree – humans have allowed themselves to get into all manner of thieving.

High tech thieving

We are the one race that would steal anything.....and I don’t mean gold bullion. We steal and break hearts that are closest to us when we lie and deceive. When we boast we speak of attributes that don’t necessarily belong to us...that’s a steal!

When we ignore or dismiss our children we take something away from them. Self-esteem and good role models are necessary for the next generation;  so why do we hide these important tools from them? When our spouses seek love and reassurance why do we turn away and bury ourselves in our  oh-so- important work? 

Human beings will steal just about anything including your most precious resources –  love,  childhood,  money,  dreams,  ideas ,  dignity,  time and – perhaps worst of all – your peace of mind! There’s no shortage of people who want  a piece of you!

Selfishness is at the heart of a thief......and of us all.....but what is a mere thought in our minds, the thief puts into practice. He makes a daring decision to sever his conscience. In a young person this consciousness is still in an amoeba-like state and a life of crime will seriously stunt healthful growth.

Out of the mouths of babes

Of course, stealing and selfishness will not win friends or influence people. Young people are just products of their environment but it’s no excuse for lawlessness. It’s also equally harmful for the older generation to not confront their wretched part in passing on negative attitudes to their young.

Den of thieves

When we damage someone’s mind, body or property  we diminish ourselves. We are defined by our actions.  At  some point in our lives we have all relieved someone of something...be it a book, umbrella or paperclip. This doesn’t  hurt  anyone (or so we tell ourselves) until it develops into full blown kleptomania. 


Every cause has an effect and stealing is a nasty one. Not as extreme as murder perhaps but a crime nonetheless. We choose to remain in blissful ignorance or denial – “it’s not my kid out on the streets” -what the mind doesn’t process the heart can’t grieve over.

Prisons are overflowing with thieves and all manner of criminality.  There’s a bad smell in our society that governments alone cannot wipe out. We have to look at ourselves squarely in the mirror every morning and freshen up our psyche. Forget the something for nothing culture of theft and give yourself  (or someone else) a straight talking to - a large dose of uncommon sense!