My house was robbed last night. We were all out, when my son got back home he found the back door kicked in, and found some laptops, a game system, and an acoustic guitar missing. It was worth a lot, for the people whose stuff was stolen, it was probably worth much more for those who took it. It was an obviously amateur job – they took cables but not speakers, dropped the controller of the game system in the back yard, and left lots of fingerprints and a shoe print on the door for the forensics guy. We can’t be sure they were the perpetrators, but a group of young men were reported loitering near the house some time before the robbery.
There were different responses from friends, acquaintances, and neighbors when they heard about it. Many were angry on my behalf, which I appreciated, but I didn’t feel particularly angry myself. I felt sad, that there are people who must overcome their better nature and do these things, who are in circumstances that make it necessary to take the risk that is surely involved in what they did. I got a lot of advice – about self-defense, alarm systems, someone even said “we are in a war”. It was unexpected. I was not delighted that my house was robbed, but I am glad that it was not the house of my ninety year old neighbor. I am glad that neither I, nor any of my children were home at the time of the break-in. I am glad that the cat was unharmed.
It’s normal to be angry, and feel threatened, and take unreasonable precautions after such a thing happens. But I feel I shouldn’t forget to ask why. Not why these particular people did this, but why anyone does. I just don’t think there are “evil” people out there who enjoy stealing and being criminals. There might be a few, of course – like those on Wall street. But for the most part, I have a feeling that people have to be desperate to do desperate things.