Stealing is defined as taking “property of another or others without permission or tight, especially secretly

or by force”: A pickpocket stole his watch.

Three Main Negative Effects of stealing are:

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It gives a false sense of ownership.

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People who steal, hurt others with their actions.

•

You could go to jail or prison or worse.

An example of giving a person who steals a ‘false sense of ownership’ is someone who, for some

reason, thinks or ‘feels’ that they have the “right” to someone else’s belongings. When a person does

not understand that they do not OWN what they take(either in secret or by force) they fall deeper

into a false reality of who they are by means of false self-esteem and also plant the seed for an un-

productive life because they may never learn how to EARN things with hard work and honesty.

They hurt others with their actions because when you take away from someone else, you do not

only take a physical object, you also have ‘stolen’ their time with the labor that it took them to obtain

that thing. People have a sense of self-worth when buying or receiving something in return for their

work. There is gratification in owning something that you invested many hours,days, months or even

years. And when that thing is taken away, usually by someone who does not know the personal value

of it, the person who it was stolen from can be very hurt inside; much like the loss of dear friend, or

even a family pet. The hurt can cause harm to that person’s trust in others, or even cause them to

become an angry or bitter person. That is very unhealthy AND dangerous for that person if they act

out on those negative feelings or thoughts.

Stealing could also lead to other crimes, or involvement with other “friends” (criminals) and

eventually end you up in Jail or Prison. The negative things about Jail and Prison is that we live in an

unforgiving society, and once you have a ‘record’ it becomes hard to get a job because no one will

trust you anymore, and others will be afraid of you or want to start a fight because they want to prove

they are ‘tougher’ than you. It takes a long time for people who take on a life of crime to ever make

their lives normal again. Your whole life could become an up-hill battle.

Conclusion:

It is best to learn good values and also the value of things by realizing that Stealing Hurts Others, makes

you believe Lies about Yourself and others, and it leads to PRISON and a life of hardship.

When you steal, in the end, you are only “stealing” from YOURSELF.