"You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15).
This would appear to be the most needed commandment in our day, for it deals with respect for property and right of ownership. It is reported that all kinds of stealing . . . which includes shoplifting and employee theft as well as armed robbery, amounts to well overLthirtyTril-Iion dollars a year. This is more than double the combined cost_ of educatiojrLimth^ try, including buildings, salary, and equipment.
On top of this we could add the tremendous cost of insurance against theft, and the cost of security measures of all kinds. We could also include such equally pernicious kinds of stealing as stretching breaks and lunch hours, falsified sick-days, padded expense accounts, and reduced effort or productivity. Of course, someone has to pay for all this. We the people do. It is the great "rip-off."
What can be done? We have emphasized laws and locks and police protection. It is generally agreed today that such measures have done little to handle, let alone cut down, the problem. They actually add to the public burden.
In Moses' time the "no stealing" law was enforced very^imply and realistically. If a man who stole an bx was caught, he had to repay the owner with fjive oxen. There were not many thieves in Israel . . . and no jails. Stealing did not pay. Paying back five times what one had been caught stealing was a real deterrent.
Under our juridical system, let us say a man steals a suit. He is arrested, tried, found guilty, and put in jail for six months. Or, even worse, because of the backlog of court cases, he may wait trial for six months. To ease the jam, he is allowed to "plea bargain," which means to confess to a lesser charge. Finally, he is convicted on a misdemeanor charge, slapped on the wrist, and discharged.
Note what happens. The man who lost the suit not only does not recover the suit, but he might have to sacrifice many days' work while appearing in court as a witness. Society loses the benefit of the victim's work, and bears the cost of the arrest, trial, and imprisonment of the thief. Everyone loses, and possibly the thief loses least of all.
Under Mosaic law, the man caught stealing the suit would have to go to work and restore four additional suits of clothes to the owner. Unbelievably simplel Actually, a pilot program of this kind is now being conducted in Connecticut. Persons convicted of crime will be required to pay back their victims. More and more people are agreeing that this is a more rational sentence than sending them to jail or putting them on probation. The goal is to take the profit out of crime.
If properly administered, such a program would insure that by the time the thief finishes earning the repayment, he may well have learned that when a person steals, he not only makes a rip in the fabric of society that must be repaired, but he steals from himself. Until this is realized, no laws will be effective. One must be made to realize in a human as well as spiritual sense . . . that the only rip-off is a self-rip-off.
It is ignorance of the law of compensation that leads people on the endless round of trying to get something for nothing, hoping for the lucky break, or finding the shortcut to advancement. It is this limited view that motivates the thief, the gambler, and the compulsive speculator.
We have repeatedly stressed that the Mosaic law was intended for near-primitive people. Certainly, infants need playpens, children need fenced-in yards, and teenagers may require curfews. Adults, too, may need the reminders of "Keep Out," "Keep Off the Grass," and "No Smoking."
However, children must be readied for life by making all restraints progressively unnecessary as they develop what Tennyson calls self-reverence, self-knowledge, and self-control. For if the person refrains from stealing only because he is afraid of being caught, he is harboring a grave limitation of consciousness. As with the seventh commandment, he has already broken the spiritual law. Moral restraints are a step along the way, but only with an understanding of metamorality can we begin to solve the basic human need. Little Skippy once remarked, "I don't worry about it, 'cause I think too much of my mind." When the shortcut of stealing becomes literally unthinkable because we are respectful of the swift judgment of mind-action, then we understand metamorality.
The child needs to be taught what true integrity is by the example of his adult models: his parents, teachers, and religious, political, and business leaders. He must be exposed to discipline that is sure and just. This will lead to the dawning awareness that one cannot really steal—ever. He who robs another, robs himself first. He makes a break in his own integrity or wholeness at the expense of his own ultimate good. He must be led to the overwhelming conclusion that one can never get something for nothing. In school we have an obligation to help him to understand that one who may cheat on an examination may pass the test, but that the purpose of the test is not to limit him, but to enrich him. By cheating he denies himself the enrichment that the course was intended to bring. He steals from himself the good that should have been his but that never can be so long as he fails to keep the law of integrity.
The Greek philosopher Zeno once said that the most important part of learning is to unlearn our errors. It is vital that every person should unlearn the erroneous belief in luck or favoritism in life or in the universe. There is a legitimate, royal abundance for every living soul; but there is a price to pay. Create the conditions in consciousness that will make the result inevitable. When the pattern is formed in mind, the result will flow forth—and no matter what the observers may say, there is no luck involved.
Another great error that must be unlearned is that life is lived from the outside-in. Under this fallacious belief the whole purpose of life is to go out into the world to get learning, to get friends, and to get money and things. When our whole cultural system is built around the idea of “get, get, get," it is little wonder that “getting there" becomes the universal goal. Under the “success syndrome," the means of getting there are too often justified if the ethics are slightly in the “gray area." We have a tendency to glamorize the sophisticated criminal . . . because he got there! Success is not just getting there. It is earning the right to he there . . . There is a law of consciousness involved. And we fail to acknowledge it when we talk of luck, or knowing the right people, or pulling strings, or even of having the right image.
Life is lived from within-out. That which every person hungers for is really within himself. It is not the acquisition of glitter and glamor of the world, but the releasement of his own "imprisoned splendor." We must unlearn the concept of "get, get, get" and become enthusiastic about the ideal of "give, give, give." If a child grows up under the influence of this kind of philosophy, stealing-thoughts would be "unthinkable."
Ralph Waldo Emerson says that people take such great care that their neighbor shall not cheat them, but there will come a time when they will be more concerned that they do not cheat their neighbor. When one really understands the spiritual law of "You shall not steal," he becomes meticulously careful not to take or accept anything that is not rightfully his . . . or fail to fulfill an obligation that is.
Here is an experience that happens in one way or another every day. Suppose when paying your check in a restaurant, you suddenly realize that the cashier has given you too much change. What to do? If the focus of your thought is on "getting," you could easily rationalize this as a divine outworking, and as a repayment for other times when you may have been short-changed. And, after all, who would know? However, when you know the divine law, that you can never get something for nothing, the decision is easy. Out of your giving consciousness you call it to the cashier's attention immediately. When you know that there is always a price to pay, why subject yourself to a cost that may not be to your liking? You would, in that small way, lose control of the forces that are working in and through and around you. It is not worth it.
There was a story in the news some years ago about a man who came upon a Brink's bag that had fallen unnoticed out of the armored truck. The bag contained half a million dollars in,small denomination bills, unmarked and untraceable. Without any hesitation he called the authorities and turned it in. He tells how his life was made miserable for months by people who asked him angrily, "Why did you turn it in?" They seemed to be saying, "We the underprivileged of society had this one chance of getting back. But you blew it! No one would ever have known." His steady reply: "But I would know!" He had his integrity, which meant more to him than any instant fortune.
"You shall not steal" then means, in a deeper sense, "You shall not take or try to hold something that does not belong to you. That has not come to you by right of consciousness." Any attempt to circumvent this cosmic law is mental theft even if it is perfectly legal. True, it may sometimes appear that others have achieved suecess even in illegal or unethical ways. The Bible says: "Vengeance is mine, and recompense" (Deuteronomy 32:35). This refers, not to the big man "out there" who looks on and makes notes in his black book, but to the inexorable working of divine law. In the end everyone must "pay the piper"! Jesus said: "What is that to you, Follow me!" (John 21 :22). You have your own integrity to uphold, your own relationship with divine law to maintain.
Some persons tend to lose this perspective when it comes to prayer. It is but a transcendent shortcut to their good, a matter of pulling divine strings. It is well to remember that God can do no more for you than He can do through you. There is no way that, through prayer, God can be influenced to give you some blessing for which you have not earned the right in consciousness. To be healthy one must have a health-consciousness. To be prosperous one must have a prosperity-consciousness. To "make it" one must have what it takes, which is slang for the consciousness that attracts. To attempt, through prayer, to acquire something that you have not earned the right for, is a kind of stealing. True prayer seeks nothing from God, for God has already given us all. "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). Prayer seeks only to let go and let the divine flow unfold, knowing that the readiness to receive depends on the ability to give. Give way . . . and give thanks! Then "move your feet" with full faith in the divine flow.
How important it is to get the realization that every person is constantly and abundantly supported by an all-providing universe, just as surely and beautifully as the lily of the field! There is never a need to go out to get it or take it. "Consider the lilies . . . they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:28, 29). The lily could never steal or even be tempted to do so, for how could it ask for anything more?
It is true that things and money come to us from the world "out there." But true wealth is not the things. It is the magnetic flow of Spirit within us that draws the things. A magnet attracts and holds iron filings. An unmagnetized piece of steel not only does not attract anything, but even if filings are piled upon it, they will fall off at the first jostling. This is not favoritism, or good or bad luck. It is the working of fundamental law. Stealing of any kind comes out of the desire to get or achieve something in ignorance of the basic law of attraction.
One of the most important discoveries to be made in the quest for Truth is that the greatest sense of fulfillment in life is not in what the magnet may attract, but in the inner sense of wholeness that comes from just being in the flow, which then is only outwardly experienced as the power to draw things . . . and the things that are drawn. Some persons may live a long time before they make this discovery. They work year after frustrating year to pile the iron filings on the unmagnetized steel. They may joke about "easy come, easy go," but it covers a deep inner feeling of hurt and frustration.
Jesus put it succinctly: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousneess, and all these things shall be yours as well" (Matthew 6:33). It is but another way of saying, Get yourself into the flow of the divine creative process, and create the conditions within your own mind that will make the outward manifestation inevitable. Turn from the goals of getting and having to the ideal of giving and being.
Your education is never complete until you really understand the law of consciousness: Whatever happens to you, whatever happens around you, will be in accord with that which is within you, your own-state-of-mind. And whatever is in your consciousness must happen, no matter who may try to stop it. On the other hand, whatever is not in your consciousness cannot happen. Of course, you can change your consciousness. And that is what this new insight in Truth is all about.
It is likely that everyone, at some time in his life, has been tempted to take a shortcut to achievement or acquisition. It could have involved anything from a slight "fudging" on a report to actions that were completely illegal. One may feel guilty that he had the temptation even if he wisely held back. However, the dishonest or immoral aspect is only part of the problem. In consciousness there was a feeling of lack, of envy, and the negative desire to retaliate against an unjust society. This is the root cause that will lead to the "comeback" of many unforeseen problems. One may get by with the slight or even major indiscretion, but in the ledger of cosmic balance, there is a debit that must ultimately be accounted for.
What to do about such things? If there is a need, no matter how desperate, instead of trying to "get" by any means, the ideal would be to start giving. Someone once said, "When things get tight, something has to give!" In the long run the only way to overcome the tendency or even the temptation to look for shortcuts to acquisition or achievement is to learn how to give. Think "give" instead of "get."
One of the most pathetic figures of the Bible is the young man of means who wanted to "have eternal life." He asked what he should do. Jesus said that he should keep the commandments . . . naming a few of them: "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:18, 19). The young man said that he had observed the commandments all his life. Jesus said that there was one more thing lacking: "Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor . . . and come follow me." The young man was crestfallen. He went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions (Matthew 19:21-22).
The inference of the story is that this fine young man, who was obviously very religious, had a disqualifying lack in consciousness. Jesus sensed that the young man was bound in personal possession. He did not really have great possessions, his possessions had him. He may have come into his wealth by inheritance, or he may have amassed it through his acquisitive drive. However, his life was being lived from the outside. He had no sense of the flow of substance. He did not know that one never really owns anything. Consciousness draws substance that is ours to shape and set in motion, but we are never more than stewards of the flow, which is always of God. Any attempt to have and to hoard material things is evidence of lack of the consciousness by which it may be held . . . thus we are breaking the eighth commandment.
There is an old adage, "You never really own anything unless you can give it away." This was the test to which Jesus was subjecting the young man. If he could have given it all to the poor, then he would not have needed to. That he could not do it indicated that what he owned was not really his by right of consciousness. It would always be a millstone around his neck. It is a stern law, but an inexorable one.
Great responsibility goes along with wealth and possessions of all kinds. Many persons in the practice of the prosperity laws of Truth have given prime emphasis to "demonstrating" abundance. It is a valid aspect of the new insight in Truth. However, one thing that is not always clearly understood is that it matters not that affluence has been achieved in perfectly legal and ethical ways; to hold it in possessiveness, and to fail to use the substance rightly in a commitment to giving . . . is to break the eighth commandment.
The "back to the Ten Commandments" people insist that the problems of crime and immorality would be solved if more people would heed the eighth commandment: "You shall not steal!" Of course. It is like saying that we would have more grass in the parks if people would just obey the "Keep Off the Grass" signs. The fact is, the grass will be spared when people become more aware of the underlying Truth that "you cannot steal," for your life is totally entwined with the inexorable laws of the universe. When more people discover that the only practical and fulfilling way to live is to live to give instead of to receive, metamorality will become the rule.
Jesus said: "Give, and it will be given to you" (Luke 6:38). The divine flow within you requires but one thing of you: your consent or willingness to be a receiving channel. It is like the water faucet that must be opened to the flow in order that water may pour forth freely. Jesus is simply stressing the need to get into a giving consciousness in order to sustain a continuity of the flow of good in your life. With the emphasis on giving, there is little likelihood that your mind may turn to shortcuts to getting, or in worrying about keeping. Honesty, integrity, and respect for the property of others will be as natural to you as breathing.
When you think "give" instead of "get" you will experience the "life more abundant" that Jesus idealizes. In your work, your play, your relationships, and your church, Think give! Think of your work as giving. Think of every relationship as an opportunity to give. Give to your family. Give to your neighbors. Give to your community. Give to the nation. Think give. Give way to the divine flow.
The faucet is opened so that it can give, and the more it gives, the greater the flow by which to give. It is important to understand this great ideal: The purpose of giving is not to receive but to give. The moment we focus on receiving, we begin to lose the flow of giving. At this point, in a relative sense, we begin to engage in stealing. Jesus said: "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3). This simply means, "Don't let your acquisitive instinct influence your giving, so that the gift is tainted with self." Give to give to give yet more. In this consciousness, you can be certain that you are "breaking" the eighth commandment out of its static shell and keeping its spirit in the highest possible way.
© 1987, Unity Books
Reprinted with permission.
