When people steal things, it is annoying. We all know this. We also know that stealing in school is not cool. 

However, what if stealing was necessary? What happens to the brain when you steal? Does it keep happening? How often does it happen? These are all questions to be answered. 

Stealing

Stealing could mean many things. It could be a play in some sports. It could be buying something at a cheap price. But in actuality, stealing is when you take something that is not yours with the intention of not letting anyone know.

It could be stealing something small like a pen, pencil, or maybe even a marker. However, it could also be something big. What if someone stole something important that belonged to a teacher, like a photo or some important documents?

A student who wishes to remain anonymous says they saw someone steal: “[The person stole] part of a desk. Some teacher’s belongings.” This is not good. What motivated the person to steal this? Why would they do this?

The Mindset

If someone manages to get away with stealing, they might get the impression they could steal more things. 

This snowball effect is the same kind that affects kids who start smoking or vaping when they are young.

Peer pressure is a factor that could lead someone to steal something. What if your friends want to steal something and they want you to help them by making a distraction? This could also be an example of the snowball effect of stealing.

The part of the brain that rewards you gives you feelings of happiness or even thrill if you get away with stealing something. These emotions are good emotions. When you steal, you are getting good emotions from doing something bad. This, in turn, makes you want to steal more things.

Everybody likes to feel good. But does one ever feel bad from stealing? Would you feel guilty if you stole something that someone else holds dear? Stealing is mostly done out of selfishness and need. However, sometimes people steal out of desperation for themselves or even for others.

Morality

Is it okay to steal if it is for a good cause? This is a question that people may ask themselves or others if they steal something. This question could be considered an excuse, or it could be something to make people feel better about stealing something.

When it comes to school, stealing is usually never considered moral. What would you benefit from stealing a soap dispenser from the school? Why would you even think of doing that in the first place?

Imagine this scenario. Someone tells you they have a bad grade. They devise a plan to steal the answer key to the upcoming test. They successfully steal it while the teacher is busy doing something.

How are you supposed to feel about this? This kid has been your friend for five years, but he stole something and is cheating. What do you do? Do you condone this and forget it ever happened? Stealing is a crime that is incredibly complicated morally.

Some students were asked what they felt about the statement above and a student who wishes to remain anonymous even went on the record to say, “Well… I don’t know. [It is] debatable when it comes to what I think. I think it can be, depending [who does it]. Yes, some money [is] wasted when it comes to stores, but unless it’s a convenience store, you can live. Let a few steal. But if it’s an individual convenience store, small shop, or family owned, it feels disrespectful. There’s always a reason for it. It’s [for] what reason, [that is what] matters.” 

This is exactly the problem. The reason has to be good to steal. But at the same time, it is stealing, so how are you supposed to feel about this? Bad? Mad? Sad? Happy? Proud? It is almost impossible to tell.

Conclusion

Thievery is a complicated moral dilemma that if you think too deeply about, you might give yourself a headache. But to answer the question: “Is it okay to steal?”, to put it lightly, no. Even if it is for a good reason it should still be deemed unnecessary in today’s society.