Thievery

1) When there is a thief in the picture, somebody always gets hurt. They often grab whatever they see, and when they get to look at their loot, they often find they didn't even want what they took. The items may not be valuable at all - but often have a personal or sentimental context - and the thief will never understand it.

2) Thievery hurts people of all ages and in every way. Folks get hurt on either side - by being a thief or by being victimized by a thief. Thieves bring a false bravado to everything they do. So now they are not only thieves. They are liars too.

3) Robin Hood. He was a thief.

4) Unfortunately, most thieves don't "take from the rich and give to the poor." Instead, they take from people who don't have much and give to people who don't value much.

5) Thieves leave heartache in their wake. The year after my younger brother was killed in a car wreak, I carried his picture around with me in my briefcase. I also had a very old "Book of Common Prayer" that I kept with me, a gift from my Grandmother. Thieves broke into my car and stole my briefcase. There was no computer in it, no money, nothing of value. But the thieves got the picture and the Book of Common Prayer. They probably threw them in a dumpster. I kept the heartache.

6) Thieves create a life event, impacting you many years after their thievery. They make you into a victim - and that is something you have to fight the rest of your life.


7) After becoming a victim of a theft, people are often left feeling violated, paranoid, and afraid.

8) Thieves in fiction are often romanticized, with goodness on their side. They are portrayed as characters of interest, depth, and delight.

9) Thieves in Dungeons and Dragons and other fantasy games have really keen senses, can identify traps and poisons, and are cunning.

10) Thieves in real life are creeps who drive around in black Subaru's or Blazers and steal patio furniture. Big Difference.

11) My favorite thief character is named Royce, and you can read about him in The Riyria Revelations, by Michael Sullivan.

12) The old saying is that there is honor among thieves. Apparently this was true in ages long ago - The concept is found in [c 1622-3 Soddered Citizen (1936) l. 305] Theeues haue betweene themselues, a truth, And faith, which they keepe firme, by which They doe subsist; [1703 P. A. Motteux Don Quixote ii. lx.] The old proverb still holds good, Thieves are never rogues among themselves.

However, in today's world, it seems that more often than not, human greed is stronger than human loyalty, and that no promise is safe from the corruption of money, drugs, and power. Very sad.

13) Mean People Suck.