Not Meant To Be a Chocolate Dipped Soliloquy
An amazing article by Daniel Williams here about his first theft got me to reflecting “when was my first theft?” I quickly found myself mentally backpedaling with a “let’s not even go there.” An interesting note from Williams article is that when he was a young kid stealing candy from the hardware store the first time, it was a learning experience with whole new doors opening withunbounded opportunities before him(for which he learned the hard way how some of the doors lead to harmful, profoundly negative results). In the checkout lane, he did not have to wait to be dealt some random sugary treat at a school birthday or from a friend’s cupboard. Instead he could sneak a treat with noone looking and savor the flavor without any repurcussions(or so he thought).
“Let’s not even go there.” My mind keeps reeling with examples of another lesson about the deeper meaning of any misdeed and the nature of good and bad. As you grow up, you realize nothing in the world is ever that simple. Even with things like “do not steal” or “do not take things that don’t belong to you,” things can easily get complicated.
First of all, let us not forget that shoplifting or petty theft is a real worldwide problem for businesses. An estimated $15–20 billion is lost by businesses each year for shoplifting. Working at a grocery store for fourteen-plus years, I experienced this craziness first hand. When I was sixteen a shift manager joked with me about the customer who reported that they “witnessed another shopper stuff a head of lettuce down their shirt.” “Well, what was I supposed to do about it,” the manager shook their head, “and boy they really needed that head of lettuce.”
Not all experiences were as humorous. What about the elderly shopper on social security not allowed back into the store because they slipped a few extra items into their purse after purchasing a whole cart full of groceries? Or what about naive, young teenage courtesy clerk who innocently pours themselves a cup of pop from the deli soad fountain only to be caught by a manager and fired on a spot for stealing it? Many such incidents from the retail front line just left me wide-eyed and wondering “can’t you give some people a break?” So many people accused or even witnessed in the act of stealing are among the most vulnerable or unwilling. I’m not saying these people should have been let off scott free, but maybe a smaller slap on the wrist would have been more reasonable and just of a consequence?
Ironically, the lines are often just as hazy for larger financial crimes. Experts identify financial crimes are often correlated with motivation, opportunity, and rationalization. This means that in many situations, everyday genuinely good-hearted people get themselves caught up in unimaginably toxic situations. Imagine someone constantly scraping by from paycheck to paycheck and then facing the harmful allure of green at their workplace. “I need that extra few hundred dollars to pay the bills, I’ll put it back before anyone notices.” “They will never notice the lost extra profit anyway.” Noting the complicated picture of these worst financial crimes(as well as even more egregious other types of offenses) can serve as great support for restorative justice. Rather than punish and lock away, offer full regard to those who commit offenses and allow them to take responsibility and make recompense for their actions. This is not excusing the crime. Rather, it is remembering that our fellow humans, like ourselves, are subject to falling. Just as Jesus stated in John 8:7: “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” If we seek to identify with our fellow humans who have fallen and offer them full support on the journey of reconciliation, might that also ensure that they do not commit the same offenses again?
But anyway, back to Williams’ story — is this not just a wonderful piece reflecting on the completion of a petty theft and its not so satisfying results like bad tasting candy and guilt and shame? Crime indeed doesn’t pay. But perhaps even more surprising are the deeper lessons Williams learned from his not so pleasant adventures. Among them was a deeper realization that the world is not such a simple place and the lines between good and bad are not as defined and hard-set as they may seem to be.
