Stealing.

**** Parental warning: Profanity is involved in this post****

I'm so riled up right now I can hardly blog straight. I am so angry, pissed off, frustrated, my rage is so huge it needs it's own zip code. I want to run outside and scream to the world "What the fuck is wrong with you?!?!". Though, half my neighbors don't speak English, I think they'd get the gist of my question. The other half would think I've finally fallen into the deep end.

I came home from church today, looking forward to a relaxing afternoon of crafting while the kids chilled out and watched a movie. But I couldn't get in my driveway. There was a white SUV parked infront of it and a man hopping out, jogging towards my house. I stopped and watched. Rolled down the window. He proceeded to take some logs I was saving to cut and dry to have a campfire with the kids. I yelled out the window and we exchanged words about his removal of my property from my property. Apparently, he was confused that the items sitting a good twenty feet into my yard were not in fact trash, even though they had a close proximity to the recycle bins. He threw them back towards my gate and they hightailed it out of my street before I could even pull into the driveway.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned someone stealing my debit card number and charging things to my bank account. I still haven't gotten all my bills set up with the new card number.

What is going on with people and stealing? 

It is obvious that charging things on someone elses card is wrong. But isn't this person's behaivor in the same category as the other? Why does he feel it's acceptable to remove even something that he may feel is trash from someone else's yard without permission? If it is worthy to him, could it not be worthy to me also? Who gives others the right to decide?

I teach my children that stealing is wrong. We had a period with Olivia where she would pocket things at the store. Every time I found her out we walked back to the store and she confessed and apologized. I explained how the system works and why her behaivor isn't socially acceptable. She doesn't steal anymore. Have these adults missed this lesson?

The definition of stealing in my Encarta dictionary is this: to take unlawfully, to take something that belongs to somebody else, illegally or without the owner's permission. I came in and looked it up. Then double checked with Google to reassure myself that the world hasn't flipped on it's head and stealing doesn't now mean what I have always believed so.

Not only am I angry but I feel violated. If these people came to my home when it's obvious no one is here with the intent to take what doesn't belong to them, what else are they willing to do? What would they do when we are home? My place of safety doesn't feel so much that way anymore. Did he think about that when he assured me "it's all good." before hopping back into the passenger side as his get-away driver hauled ass in reverse away from me?

I assure you, it's not all good. Not good at all.

I have always felt that the past few generations have developed a sense of entitlement. That they want but not work. The general attitude of "someone else will if I won't" vibrates through me when I'm in large crowds. This feeling of absolution when knowingly doing wrong. Entitlement without earning is a sin. Thinking you can have something because of who you are, where you pray, what you look like, how much stronger you are than someone else, who your parents are, how much money or education you have or the fact you can just plain get away with it without getting caught should be right up there with the Thou Shalt Not Kill.

The world is not a free ride. What you do has consequences. The things you do because you can hurt other people. While you sit in the safety of your unviolated home smiling about the one you just put over on someone, that person at the end of your sin is weeping. Whether it's stealing from "the man", taking what might be an insignificant wood pile, pocketing that wallet left in the bathroom stall, falsifying statements or writing down a credit card number with ill intent

STEALING IS WRONG.

And Karma is a bitch.