I had an interesting conversation with Smallsteps today, inspired by me checking that the door was locked as we were leaving for an impromptu Daddy Daughter coffee. When I double-checked, she asked why we need to lock the door, with me answering so that people don't go in and take our stuff... She thought I was joking at first, saying that people don't go into houses unless they are their own.
The conversation while driving went into thievery, what they might take, what happens if they are caught, and what kinds of punishments they get. But, then she asked,
What causes someone to become a thief?
How to explain this to a six year old?
Ummm.... there are several reasons, some people don't have enough money to buy things they need, so take from others. Some people want things that they can't afford, so they take from others. Some people like the feeling of taking from others...
She really was interested in this and kept digging deeper into why some people don't have enough money, and where they learned to be thieves. Why they didn't get a job and why they can't go without what they want if they can't afford it.
It was a can of worms.
But, I found myself trying to not be judgmental of thieves, as I can imagine lots of reasons why someone would do it, but at the same time, breaking into someone's home is about the worst thievery, as it is such a violation of personal space. And once it has happened, it can be that the people may no longer feel safe in their own home and, no longer feel comfortable leaving anything of value in the house.
For us though, we don't have much of value for a thief, because very little that is expensive has much of a resale market. I don't think people steal TVs anymore, because used ones are so cheap anyway, that they aren't worth stealing. Phones are the same, because within moments, the stolen phone can be bricked, or tracked. Probably the most valuable thing in the house is our new stove, followed by the oven, but they aren't exactly "walk away" items and, probably have a pretty narrow buyer market.
In Finland, home break-ins are thankfully rare, but they have been on the increase in recent years. However, what is interesting to note is that according to Finnish police statistics, three in four burglaries are committed during the day and the most common time is between noon and three on a Friday afternoon, but there has been an overall decrease in the last two years. This is because more people are working from home and working more intermittently from the office, making it harder for thieves to predict.
Also, people seem to be more readily installing security products and services, with plenty of systems available that give remote monitoring capabilities, something we will likely get also soon, as at least it is a deterrent for would-be burglars. With cameras everywhere these days, getting seen somewhere comes with a very high probability.
Even with the decrease over the last two years though, I suspect that the trend will quickly return to the upside pre-Covid, as people not only return to work in the offices, but also economic hardship and social problems are on the increase too. Even in a small city like the one I live in, there are drug problems in the center and whilst nowhere near as bad as in some countries, by Finnish standards, it is.
While I don't really like talking about these things (and I didn't go in-depth) with Smallsteps, I do think that she is going to be entering a world that the average Finnish parent has little to no experience with. Times have changed rapidly and the culture that used to keep people safe, is no longer as stable. There are many reasons for this, but social breakdown and isolation are very high on the list, as trust has been eroded and people have become more isolated.
The other thing that has changed is the way children are in general, with less focus put by parents in making sure that their children are well mannered and more "entertainment parenting", relying on content that keeps their children busy, but doesn't necessarily help them build a healthy approach to social interaction. When people don't value the community in which they live, crime increases, because the victims are all considered strangers.
I think it is good that Smallsteps is curious enough to ask about these things and it was interesting that she wanted to dive so deeply in the reasons why people behave in the ways they do. It reminds me of someone. Hopefully though, she is also able to recognize the good in people and be able discern the differences effectively so that she will surround herself with people she can actually trust, and be cautious around the people she can't. This comes with experience, but she needn't start from absolute scratch.
Like it or not, we live in a world where locking the door, is necessary - if only for our own peace of mind.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
