don't steal

The tale of Ragged Dick really embodies the American Dream. He rises from nothing (but, of course, the clothes on his back and his shoe shining kit) to a, not wealthy, comfortable, lifestyle through hard work and perseverance. Hard work and perseverance the good old fashion way. Our hero doesn’t claw his way to the top, doing whatever it takes to be the best, but rather maintains a high standard of ethics throughout his ascent. He will not fight (unless provoked, but, even then, is clean about it), and will certainly not steal. Why not? Lots of bootblacks steal. Why does Ragged Dick take such a strong stand against stealing?

Recently my camera was stolen. I take full responsibility for being careless, yet, nonetheless, it was taken and not simply misplaced. I was not alone in getting robbed that night: several jackets and, I’m sure, other electronics were stolen. A person had looted the coatroom, essentially picking up anything that looked remotely interesting. At first I was angry at simply the lack of a camera, but I realized I would not be getting it back, and that was quickly accepted. What I do have trouble understanding is why someone would steal.

Reading Ragged Dick, I appreciated his morals and found it really admirable that he would not, under any circumstance, take something that did not belong to him, however, never having something stolen from me myself, made it impossible to fully understand. When something you work hard for (or, if a gift, someone you care about works hard for) is gone, initially you are left feeling like your hard work is gone too. Basically, “All that work for nothing.”

I know, I know. You still did the work; you still have whatever accomplishment it may have been. But human beings typically enjoy having a tangible, materialistic affirmation of their success. For example, the winner of any type of competition is usually presented with a trophy. Why? A trophy is a useless piece of molded metal, wood, marble, or really anything at all, of absolutely no value to anyone else. Yet I’m sure I couldn’t find one person who would receive a trophy unwelcomingly. It’s tangible, and, to satisfy pride, when people see it they see your hard work and ultimate success.

So, anything that we purchase with earned money serves as a sort of personal trophy, a reward to yourself for your accomplishment. I think it’s understandable to feel that, with the theft of that item, your hard work was taken too. Stealing is not only about the object that is stolen. It’s about all of what led to the possession of that object.