I find the act of stealing merciless. In a world where most people reap what they sow, stealing is an intentional crossing of the boundaries of possession. Violating one's right to possession, whether it would entail matters of tangibility or not, is another inconsiderate way to disregard one's authority in ownership.
Different forms of stealing can account the guilty to different tenures to be behind bars in relation to how heinous the crime he has done.
The items I have enlisted here are what I believe to be violations of one's right to ownership.
1. Plagiarism
I could give you a gist of this term worth two words: no originality.
Plagiarism is a direct theft commonly occurring in passages or texts and is committed by a proclamation of words as one's own and by a failure in citing the true source.
This is when one's words are in unauthorized usage. This is a direct stealing of two aspects of a text— its language and its implied meaning.
To me, this denotes the user's lack of the respect the source deserves; I think the user has to credit the source accordingly at the very least!
2. "Holdap"
I am going to incorporate my country's disappointing culture regarding this predominant form of theft usually done in the streets.
"Holdap" is, sort of, the 'butchered' Filipino pronunciation of its English counterpart, "hold-up".
"Holdap ito!"
Literally means, "This is a hold-up!"
The Merriam-Webster website defines hold-up (or holdup) as:
"A robbery carried out at gunpoint"
It is not only at the will of the gunpoint, though.
The victim also bows down to the presence of equally life-jeopardizing things such as sharp objects. This is when a victim exchanges the salvation of his life for his coveted valuables.
I find it really infuriating that this form of stealing gives intimidatingly immediate results. Those results vary, though. A successful hold-up means the valuables are caught. Meanwhile, a failed hold-up means that there are no valuables caught.
3. Corruption
I still have a messy understanding of how corruption is committed. However, school and the majority of the elders around me have projected a very puke-worthy image of corruption. That pretty much helps me realize how horrendous it really is.
Here are some direct quotations I still remember vividly. These three are from my Social Studies teacher:
"Corruption is technically stealing."
"Corruption is unjust. This is why countries with poor justice systems do not progress fast."
"When a politician alters and manipulates the records and statistics considered for the budgeting of government projects in pursuit of using the extra money for his self, he is worthy to be labeled a corrupt politician."
Meanwhile, this is from one of my favorite teachers in high school:
"We all had been corrupt in our own little ways. Greed can be corruption, you know."
4. Identity Theft
This is when your identity is being used by an unknown user for his/her own gains and interests.
For me, this is a very mind-boggling form of stealing and a very scary one, too. In real life transactions, this theft can give birth to unreal partnerships, bizarre deals, and questionable behavior for the "posers".
Call this a proposal to the universal truths, but no one wants to have his own identity stolen by some life meddler or by some desperate and envious creep. (Do any of you agree with me on that?)
No one even deserves to have his identity replicated in entirety. In retrospect, we should embrace our uniqueness as persons.
5. Pickpocketing
Unlike the exposure of "Holdap", pickpocketing is sly, silent, yet awfully full of impact. This is when a person is being stolen of something (that is often the size of a pocket, hence the name) without his knowledge.
Whenever I think of pickpocketing, my mind directs me to the thought of commuters, tourists, and even the wandering homeless people in the streets. My heart would ache to think of the innocent people to bring into realizations that they are being robbed of their treasured things.
My Extra Reflection
I could compare people who steal with parasites. Like parasites, these people settle for those who they find as very clueless targets. Like parasites, their breeding place is nowhere close to 'cleanliness'. Like parasites, I see them as a shame to society, albeit they play a purpose— a very maddening purpose of igniting the inner skepticism and awareness of the masses.
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