Absolutely. If myself and my family were starving, I would steal food for us. Surviving trumps laws any day, I have to say. I'd try other ways first, but if I'm desperate to survive, there's no question.
I have never experienced true poverty or extreme hunger, but if I had to steal for food for my family I would do it. I don't think it's wrong for an impoverished person to steal bread for food. We are very sensitive to the word steal because it is against the law and because people who take from us are wrong. But impoverished people who resort to stealing are not doing it because they want to break the law, they do it because people don't give them anything to eat. I respect the poor in countries where their government doesn't give them food stamps or churches who hold soup kitchens. The poor still find a way live and make babies. Which means that humans are capable of surviving, may not be luxury or the healthiest, but we can survive. What can a poor person offer who is hungry other than his own life?
I would not consider stealing as a first or only alternative. I would look for other alternatives before considering the five finger discount. If no other alternative exists and my family was starving, yes I would steal to feed my family and myself.
Similar threads
