UNITED STATES—No one in the world is perfect, but there are ways to prevent yourself from making stupid decisions that will impact your life forever.  I’m not just speaking from personal experience, but the fact that you surround yourself by those who make poor decisions will influence you more.  Something that so many people consider petty, but it’s a serious crime is stealing.

I cannot begin to decipher how many people I’ve witnessed being caught after stealing something.  I recall vividly my times working in retail where a teen, about 13, who was caught stealing a candy bar.  The irony in the situation was the kid so nonchalant after he was caught, he was actually quite pissed. I was thinking to myself, if I was in management this kid is about to spend some time in jail.

First you steal from my company, then you throw a fit because you got caught; a night in the slammer would have done this youngster well.  What made the situation worse was the fact that his mother seemed concerned, but not so much.  This is serious, stealing is a crime and it’s punishable by not only fines, but with jail time.

Why in the world do people steal?  Is it the drive to get something they want, that they can’t have or is it the fact that it’s an adrenaline rush?  Who knows, but I think some television shows are doing great jobs of showcasing the ramifications of stealing on children.  Two series that pop into my mind is “The Simpsons” and “Pretty Little Liars.”

The episode involving “The Simpsons” displayed Bart stealing a violent video game from the store and being carted off to jail.  He hid the secret from his parents and resulted in their family photo being ruined.  He was really remorseful for his actions, but learned a lesson; stealing does not just effect you it impacts all of the people surrounding you as well.

The episode of “Pretty Little Liars” was the pilot, that involved Hanna (Ashley Benson) being caught stealing a pair of sunglasses, at first she sees it as a sport, until the ramifications impacts her mother who is forced to seduce a cop to keep her daughter’s criminal past from reaching the surface.  The biggest problem with making stupid decisions is people fail to learn from their mistakes and continue to go down a dark path.

No matter what family, friends or the law tells them, the choice to do what they want ultimately costs them much more than their freedom. For some it costs them their families.  It’s always a stupid decision when your mistake affects more people than just yourself.

By Trevor Roberts