Is this wrong? I'm not talking about taking from a friend when you'd know they'd say yes it's just they're not there at the moment, I mean going into a store and walking out with a five finger discount. I mean robbery.
Robbery: the act of stealing
. When you rob someone or something, like a company, you are doing it harm. Even if they have millions of dollars and you have none, does that justify stealing? If you feel there is a gray area, where does it start and where does it end? Is it hard and fast or does it change by your mood or your personal conditions. You may feel it's wrong to steal if you're starving, but what if you were starving? Would you let yourself die, or your loved ones? How can you determine when it's okay to steal and when it's not unless you're actually put in that situation?
If you think it's okay to steal anytime, you mean to say that you would find it acceptable if someone stole from you, maybe not something of monetary value but what about sentimental value? You can be a thief, thug, or what have you but if you're mom got mugged by some little shit, you mean you wouldn't beat the snot out of him if you saw it happen? How can you only allow a certain set of rules apply to you and not everyone else?
An entire city could be starving while one man hordes it all. What he is doing is wrong, but if someone were to steal from him and distribute it to the people that would be wrong to. You can't take the bread back if it's been eaten, but you can punish the man who stole it to whatever rules the society has agreed upon. If the people knew it was stolen, they should be punished too, if not, then no. If you had the choice to live as a hypocrite, or die doing what you believe in, then in the next life wouldn't you be judged by how you acted? Better to die on your feet than live on your knees is something passed around alot, but wouldn't you rather have self-respect and more importantly your immortal soul than your life. Doesn't eternity last a lot longer than this life, and if were you end up is determined by this life, do you really feel a deathbed repentance will save you if you don't really mean it? Do you think you can fool God, of all beings wouldn't God be the one who knows how you trully feel in your heart. Your spiritual advisor may cleanse you with words, but your soul can only be saved by a being that knows what you mean. If you think you can cheat the system, then why is anyone afraid of hell. If it were so easy to beat the devil, I think that no one would be suffering right now cause as long as they apologize before they die they're good, even if they didn't mean it.
So where does this leave us? Enjoy this life or the next. Some people question what if the next life doesn't exist, then they can do what they want. Just cause there will be no penalty doesn't mean it's not a crime. We all live in society and agree to live by it's rules. If we all broke the rules it'd be chaos, so what makes you so special that allows you to do what no one else can? The Golden Rule is a good one, and if we did live by it the world would be a much better place. Maybe if we took things one step at a time we could attain that Utopia dreamed of not so long ago. Maybe, by not stealing in ANY way, you could start yourself down the moral high road, and even if heaven is not the destination, atleast you'd know that you deserve to be there.