You forgot to include the whole sentence Ian... "the most important thing is to improve ones self though self development and"
But i'll take the bait Ian
It is often in everyones best interests morally not to steal, but sometimes the interests of some groups/individuals are in conflict with the interests of other groups/individuals.
If your conscience thinks stealing is acceptable by improving one's self... then the answer would be YES for that particular Individual/group. It wouldn't be my idology for self development... but hey, look at our current goverment... it's apparently ok to lie and steal based on there morals, integrity and as a result they still have a strong following of believers
You have to remember society is and always has been a game... A game that most people don't really understand nor do they want to play by the rules. At the end of the day, Society is a man made creation... it's controlled by a monetry system that again another man made creation... therefore money isn't real and just an illusion.
Here are some examples for you of when theft has been accepted and actually embraced within society- (although a criminal offence within society if commited by an individual!)
Robin Hood and his merry men.. take from the rich and give to the poor.
British Invasions across the globe. Did you know throughout the ages, Britain has invaded almost 90 per cent of the world’s countries. An analysis of the histories of almost 200 nations found that only 22 have never experienced a British assault. Is stealing then claiming land right?
Did you know half of the Brits think that some types of Stealing is acceptable. Apparently, the main reasons why people steal are from peer pressure closely followed by the ‘buzz and excitement’ of the act.
Is it morally wrong in society to steal food for the benefit of a starving person if that is the only means by which the food may be obtained to survive?
In society, the answer would be YES... Stealing is stealing right? So, if you played the game by society rules (government, political, religious belief systems) you would starve to death!
It is why our government give welfare and support to those in need... it needs to support the system it has created. If the system fails, society will fail.
In Western Society, it is made up of individuals who have agreed to work together for mutual benefit. If everyone played by society rules, theft wouldn't occur and we wouldn't be having this discussion! Society clearly doesn't work and "most people" are dilusional, unaware, brainwashed or just don't know any better.
I'm glad you mentioned only mentioned stealing Ian... Personally, i'm more concerned about murderers, arsonist, terrorist, dictators, corruption, drugs etc within society... these are the people fighting against society rules and values... and to be honest, not much you can do to stop them until they they usually do something wrong.
Have you ever questioned why capital punishment has been abolished in Australia, the maximum life sentence is around 25 years? A criminal commits a minor to mid range crime and they can usually get away with a slap on the wrist... but you park in the wrong spot and you are Financially penalised, don't pay for a train ticket and financially penalised... I won't even mention the (insert word here) court systems and the injustice.
I know why... Yes, i've worked it out! It's all about contol, and deliberatly instilling fear within society. How many wars are occuring at the moment? Yes, way to many!
I will leave you with this quote -
"If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability."
-- Henry Ford
For the record, Henry Ford has been resposible of "helping" 100's of millions of people across the globe... It's fair to say, he knew the rules of the game!
If anyone wants to read a great book on personal self development... i suggest you read - 7 habits of highly effective people. By DR Stephen Covey.
The quicker you work on self development the better your life and society will be... Or you can choose to keep posting in this GRUMPY thread and esculate the problem
Simmo.