The ‘Okay’ time to steal
IN APRIL 2021, a former senior manager of the National Commercial Bank pleaded guilty to defrauding $34 million. When originally confronted, she confessed to stealing the money and explained that she had misappropriated the funds to help one of her relatives who had been diagnosed with cancer. As it turns out, much of the cash was used to advance the building of her house.
Amid yet another fraud saga, a former employee of Stocks and Securities Limited has apparently confessed to stealing clients’ money, explaining that she wished to ‘borrow’ the money in order to pay medical bills for a relative who was undergoing treatment overseas.
Hmm, an all too familiar story... Without pronouncing a judgment on the truthfulness of either story though, it is rather curious that both accused managed to find themselves in the same bind. Perhaps, when the next swindler gets caught, they will announce that they had embezzled other people’s money for the noble cause of building a housing scheme for the homeless or procuring life-saving drugs for the sick. It is clear that in both cases, the fraudsters still don’t get it – whatever the reason, stealing is stealing, and it is never an ‘okay’ time to steal.
GOOD CAUSE
While many know the hardship of having to care for ailing relatives with little to no funds, we have to be careful not to buy into the notion that it is fine to steal so long as it is to further a ‘good cause’. Many of us would have at some point heard the story of Robin Hood, the local hero who, despite the rule of a mean king, saved the poor from destitution by giving them money he stole from the rich merchants. For his ‘kind’ deeds, he is equally as loved by his imaginary townsfolk as he is by people who read the story and admire the selflessness that would cause one to live a life dedicated to easing the burden of the poor (albeit with other people’s money).
But, does desperation and misfortune necessitate or legitimise stealing? As absurd as the question is, many would answer in the affirmative. And that is the real reason behind the obligation many fraudsters feel to disclose all the many woes which prompted them into dishonesty. Perhaps if they explain that they really, reeeaaallllly needed the money, then the public would understand.
From observation, there are three main arguments a bona fide thief will use to buttress his case. The first and most obvious is that he is desperate. “Desperate times call for desperate measures”, he’ll say. It’s hard to argue with someone over whether it is okay for them to swindle a few bucks to procure essential drugs for a sick family member. It’s equally as difficult to tell someone that they shouldn’t steal in order to feed their family.
But, let’s keep it going. What about stealing to fund your university tuition, or stealing to fund your way out of debt? To go further, how about stealing to buy a car or stealing to fund a vacation trip? Where does it end and where do we draw the line? At what point is stealing no longer necessary and just flat-out wrong?
It’s easy to rationalise objectively bad behaviours when we are desperate, but desperation only exhumes the qualities in us that have always existed. It isn’t poverty that makes the thief. Thieves are thieves. But an Eskimo doesn’t sit languishing for ice when he is surrounded by it.
Then there’s the notion that there are some people in this world who just have too much money. Therefore, to level the playing field those who have too little should forcibly take what they need from those who have too much and all will be well. While the world’s wealth could be much more equitably divided, whose duty is it to do the reapportioning? Robin Hood, Bad King John or the rich merchants?
BADMIND
A big part of what helps to fuel the prevalence of theft and other crimes is the negative, antisocial disease of the mind we refer to in Jamaica as ‘badmind’. The badmind is always watching other people and what they have. It is invested in diagnosing the source of other people’s wealth. Often we hear people speaking very carelessly about the richest of the rich and how little they have done in this world to deserve their loads of unearned cash. That’s the badmind disease, showing its symptoms. The next logical step is to begin advocating for these useless rich people to be stripped of all the money they clearly don’t need.
And last, there is always the allegation that the rich are rich because“dem tief”. And, of course, if you steal stolen goods, it cancels out! Easy math. But, stealing from a thief is still stealing. And if we started focusing more on ourselves and on multiplying our own talents, we wouldn’t have time to be trying to figure out everyone else and how they came by their wealth.
In light of the increasing incidences of bank fraud and other forms of dishonesty, I think this is a conversation that is worth having, even if just internally. It is good to resolve that you won’t allow circumstances to debase you into activities that betray the integrity of your character.