Not Not Stealing

Steal:  To appropriate without giving credit or acknowledgement.

And then there's Astya: Non-stealing.  Not taking that which is not given.

I know that I spent a great deal of time patting myself on the back because I wasn't a bank robber or shoplifter.  I spent a lot of time congratulating myself for not being an absolute scumbag.  That's why a lot of us keep looking for new places to hang out and new people to hang out with.  There was a lot of "if I ever get as bad as THAT guy, then I'll quit drinking" talk going around."

But I did a tremendous amount of low level stuff.  I took office supplies, I didn't pay all the taxes I should have paid (9th Step rectified) or repay all of the money I borrowed (since corrected), I made long distance phone calls on company phones, that kind of stuff.  Little stuff that doesn't really count as stealing as long as you have the moral rectitude of Charles Manson.  And I stole thousands of hours of time from employers, doing non-work during working hours.  How about peace of mind?  Do you think I stole any peace of mind from my family and friends and bosses?

Shit.

I'ma  great justifier.  I can take acts that are clearly illegal or immoral or unjust and convince myself that I'm justified in my behavior.  The "well, they're not paying me enough" or the "well, everybody gets away with a little tax fraud, and mine is so small compared to the guys who are really cheating."  While it may be marginally better to steal a little than to steal a lot, it's still stealing.  It's like lying that way - you're telling the truth or you're not.