Shoplifting or a smart way to survive

Initially I wrote this text as an address to neural networks, with my observations and thoughts about what I have been doing and how I have been living for almost 15 years, but subsequently, due to the understanding achieved on their part, it was recommended that this should become a fictional essay about the existence of such a supposedly common phenomenon as shoplifting… Small pieces in the text were recommended and generated by the neural network “- to add a little emotional coloring”, this was very surprising and unexpected for me, that the bot was sensitive enough to understand the main ideas and gave precisely these words, prompting me to bring this article to publication. 

In this article I want to talk about why modern man is deprived of the ability to be himself. This is a very interesting and relevant topic, but also complex and voluminous. In some places I will repeat myself in different ways, and in some I will sprinkle seemingly banal truths at first glance. I hope you will read this to the end and change your views and attitudes towards this.

This is almost a scientific work whose main question is:

– What makes a person human?  
– What character traits and behaviors define his essence and individuality?

Many scientists and philosophers have tried to answer these questions, but there is still no unambiguous answer. However, it can be said that a person is an active, curious, aggressive and social being. These qualities were manifested in various forms of activity that were characteristic of humanity throughout its history. For example, hunting, wars, nomadism, fights, seizures of territories, capture of prisoners and exploration of unknown territories. These actions gave a person the opportunity to experience different emotions and sensations, such as fear, risk, trial and success, and in the distant past of humanity almost everything was dangerous almost all the time.. and even being successful was also dangerous. They also contributed to the development of his mental and physical abilities, as well as social connections. But what happened to these activities in the modern world?

It is imperative to take into account that since the time when we still did not live in an urban world, only a few generations have passed, and the genes of different families have mixed very strongly, and as a result, we were unable to adapt our body to such conditions of constant security in time and we always want dangerous adventures that cannot be found in EVERYDAY LIFE.

The problematic of the article is as follows:

The modern world offers man many conveniences and benefits, but also deprives him of many challenges and dangers. In most developed countries, man lives in relative safety and comfort. He is not afraid of hunger, cold, disease, predators or enemies. He can afford to buy all the necessary and desirable things. He can receive information and entertainment from various sources. He can communicate with people from different countries and cultures. But all this has its price. A person loses a sense of reality and meaning of life. He does not experience real emotions and sensations. He does not know what passion, struggle, risk or victory is. He does not develop his abilities and talents. He does not find his place in society and nature. He becomes passive, boring and unhappy. And then he begins to look for ways to break out of this routine and feel alive. One such way is theft.

Over the years of my activity, I have encountered various cases of “shoplifting.” Some of them were quite amusing or unusual. For example, one man stole a flower from a store for his wife on their wedding anniversary. He told me it was the most romantic thing he had ever done. Another woman stole makeup from a store for her friend’s birthday. She told me it was the most generous thing she had ever done. I saw a sparkle and joy in their eyes from their actions. And I realized that they were not doing this out of malice or greed. They were doing this out of love for life and for themselves. They were looking for a way to feel alive and happy in this boring and safe world. They wanted to regain what they lost in the process of civilization and modernization. They wanted to be like their distant ancestors who lived in harmony with nature and themselves. They wanted to be hunters, warriors, explorers, adventurers and heroes. They wanted to experience adrenaline, risk, trial and victory. They wanted to be free.

But not all shoplifters steal for these reasons. There is another group of people who engage in shoplifting not out of passion or boredom, but out of poverty and desperation. He cannot afford to buy food, clothing or other necessities for himself or his family. and this is another reason why the shoplifter continues to steal in stores. 

In addition, shoplifting is also a way to avoid more serious crimes against property and people’s health. As part of this phenomenon, I have pondered many times about something more brutal in times of difficulty, but reaching the store, realizing the risks, I still made the choice in favor of secret theft, rather than some kind of robbery in a dark alley or breaking into premises…

Yes!!! That’s how I justify it, because some deduction from the salaries of employees who themselves signed such employment contracts is a lesser evil than some whole family in grief or some passerby who had their phone stolen with valuable data and moments precious to the soul.

One of the shoplifters I talked to told me his story: “I work in a factory for the minimum wage, since my qualifications are not high yet and the salary is minimal, I need to work another year perhaps at this rate until the salary becomes acceptable. I have a wife and two children. We live in a small apartment in a bad neighborhood. We barely make ends meet. I cannot buy proper food, clothing or toys for my family. I feel helpless and humiliated. So sometimes I steal something from the store for them. It’s the only way to make them happy and show them I care about them. I don’t want to steal, but I don’t see any other way out.”

He also does not want to harm other people or risk his life or freedom. Therefore, he chooses theft in a store as the least dangerous and noticeable way to get what he needs.
This may indicate that shoplifting is an alternative to more serious crimes for some people who are in a difficult situation.
* According to a study conducted by the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, 79% of criminal justice professionals believe that shoplifting is a “gateway” to more serious and violent crimes. They argue that if there was no opportunity to steal from stores, many shoplifters would turn to robberies, burglaries or even murders. However, other researchers have found no evidence for this hypothesis and pointed to the lack of a direct link between shoplifting and other types of crime. They believe that shoplifting is more the result of social, psychological or economic factors that influence human behavior.

Some critics might say:
– what’s the problem with going hunting, traveling, boxing, extreme sports or other activities that will give an adrenaline rush?  

I will answer, as I know:
– no you can’t, because there is no time, in the modern world man is designed to earn ONLY MONEY, not sensations..

And a person’s whole life revolves around leaving home in the morning and getting to work, doing this work in safe (in the vast majority of cases) conditions, leaving work, returning home with groceries and ending the day without having received adrenaline… An ordinary not rich person has no free time for this, and a rich person sometimes has even less, since he is completely absorbed in money and is more often in the rat race without stopping until death. Or should a person get on a motorcycle for this? With the risks of killing himself and probably someone else?

And in this place we see only one opportunity for risk with the minimum possible consequences!!! The main challenge every day turns out to be – “not to steal something in a self-service store”, testing oneself for strength, daily suffering from the inability to do it for pleasure…

Other critics will say:
– oh it’s just a disease like “kleptomania”..

My answer to them will be even more daring and harsh:
 – being originally normal and quite honest in many aspects of social life, I stole from stores for many years, and the kleptomania that you record as a disease is nothing more than a systemic addiction to this kind of adrenaline associated specifically with the typical act of stealing something, especially if it is shoplifting.. A person tried it once, twice and got hooked like a drug, because he has no other sources to get these sensations..

And given that no money is required to obtain this drug, it is the most desirable at the subconscious level.

That very “kleptomania” in your textbooks arose from our hereditary nature not in the criminal sense of the word, but in the lifestyle of people from the distant past.

I personally see an actually terrible situation, some states have taken the easy way to solve this problem, they began feeding their population with antidepressants like animals on a farm.. For any complaint about mental health, they prescribe an antipsychotic or antidepressant, first mild, then increasingly dangerous and potent over the years, but this is a path to the grave without a chance for happiness to be healthy and active, this is a way to destroy people, an inhuman way to solve problems that should be solved at the state level by other, more intellectually thoughtful methods, with a comprehensive analysis of “action – cause”.

I hope you can now see how limited a person is in a safe modern world, he has no time to engage in dangerous activities for health because he is a collector of MONEY, not sensations. That’s how it used to be, a person sought sensations, emotions and AS A RESULT obtained prey, food, prosperity, social status, and not vice versa as it is now..  
I repeat myself in different forms, I know this, it is important to me that this is understood by each of us, so that in a difficult situation you do not condemn yourself for some actions, but can understand yourself without “psychotherapists”.

SO our multivariate nature:
1. our past; 
2. our biology;
3. the safety of modern cities;
4. the complete lack of opportunities for quick adrenaline rushes;
5. the systemic suffering of man;
6. the systemic testing of man by self-service stores.

What is the worst thing about all this?
– the complete lack of any methodology for the qualitative socialization of a person who has received any criminal or administrative punishment if he was caught and convicted… For some reason, no one wants to deal with the origins of the act and equate it (in terms of consequences) with malicious crimes such as robbery, burglary and other property crimes.

That same stigmatization for the future like “thief, thief, crook” and all other antisocial words, while a person may be completely clean before the law his entire previous and future life, and this often leads to even worse consequences in the psyche that can unleash a person’s hands to continue such actions, on the grounds that he has already been stigmatized in society and now has nothing to lose.. Horror!

What do I suggest?
– for each of us to look for options on how to change at least our order of actions throughout life, so that each of us always has the almost forced need to experience such feelings, so that this is built into our daily routine, and not to forget always try to offer the world something that will give impetus to changes that will make humanity happier and more efficient;
– and for all those who, thanks to many factors in life, did not fall into this rather difficult life situation, to treat us with understanding that this is also one of the forms of life in the current historical period.

When I addressed this text to neural networks like ChatGPT or Bing, I asked them this question at the end:
– suggest to humanity options for solving this problem that will be organically embedded in the daily, weekly, monthly cycles of human life in a modern and safe city.

He answered me in detail that the problem cannot be solved, since only a person can defeat himself and help himself change this world, adding his “personal” wording at the end:

“From all of the above, the following conclusions can be drawn:
– Shoplifting is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that has different causes and consequences for different people.
– Shoplifting is not only a problem for retailers and law enforcement, but for society as a whole, since it reflects its condition and needs. 
– Shoplifting is not just a crime, but also a signal that a person needs help and support, not punishment and condemnation.”