How To Be Honest When Everyone Is Accused of Being a Thief

“It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.”― Noël Coward, Blithe Spirit

I was happily doing my weekly shopping when a guard who inspected my bag before entering the supermarket asked me to leave my umbrella at the customer’s service area. She said it was just a company policy and she respectfully apologized.

A Policy Against Theft

Although I couldn’t blame her for merely doing what the company enforced, I still felt upset. Why distrust the customers who support your store? Why suspect that everyone is a thief?

Now other people may not mind, but being the sensitive person that I am, I do sometimes take things personally. And I must admit that I still have a long way to go when it comes to humility.

Still, I needed to abide by their rules so I could keep on shopping there. But what changed was how I felt inside. No longer did I feel connected warmly to that store like I used to. It was just business at the end of the day.

Wouldn’t it be better, however, if businesses succeed by building a good relationship with people rather than by mistrusting them?

Where Honesty Shines

I remember the first time I tried the self-checkout grocery counters in Australia. There was neither a cashier nor a guard to check you as you went. You pay for the items you check out based on your honesty.

It could very well be that they had other control measures in place such as CCTV cameras or roving guards in civilian uniforms. But what matters is that they did not make me feel as though I were a dishonest person who couldn’t be trusted.

I also remember the famous Honesty Coffee Shop in the Philippines. It’s a small store in Batanes where you can simply pay for what you purchased by putting your cash in a given box.

The owner relies solely upon your honesty. There is no one there to see whether you pay or not. No guard, no cashier, no other person but you and your conscience. It was a very basic and traditional store that existed long before self-checkout counters and CCTV cameras.

But I’m very happy that it’s still a famous tourist destination even today. In all its simplicity, it tells people that honesty can still exist and that people can still be trusted.

It’s a blessing to know that in some parts of the world, honesty can still be a believable virtue. And I truly hope that more and more parts of this world could do the same.

When Thieves Persist

The reality, however, is that this secular and materialistic world has pervaded the behavior of many people. As a consequence, some businesses can’t help but enforce stricter rules when it comes to controlling theft.

Just this year, Target announced about 9 of its stores closing because of theft. More and more businesses are closing in San Francisco due to safety concerns and rising crime statistics.

In a world where everyone is accused of being a thief, what’s the point of honesty? In this kind of world, honesty no longer seems to be a decision of the person concerned. It no longer seems to be a virtue by choice. It is enforced upon you through strict control measures meant to turn away thieves.

Yet is this the only way to practice honesty?

Considering these perilous times, I feel that most people would agree. If you give people the chance to steal, you could only blame yourself if you find no honest person at the end of the day.

The Thief From Les Misérables

Have you watched the 2012 movie Les Misérables starring Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean? The movie was based on the 1862 novel by Viktor Hugo.

In the said movie, Jean was paroled after being imprisoned for 19 years for stealing bread. Being an ex-convict, he found it hard to find work or accommodation. The only one who trusted him enough was the Bishop of Digne. Despite the Bishop’s generosity, however, Jean still managed to steal from him some silverware.

What follows is that part of the film that never fails to touch my heart. In an act of boundless grace, the Bishop told the arresting officers that he gave the silverware to Jean and that Jean even forgot to take some more! Instead of being angry for being taken advantage of, he gave him grace and provided him with enough means to rebuild his life.

“Forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man.... Jean Valjean, my brother: you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!” - Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

And Jean indeed changed for the better after that. After receiving unconditional mercy and trust, he turned his life around. He became a mayor and a man of virtue, touching the lives of other people around him for good.

In retrospect, was it wrong then for the Bishop to have trusted the man? At first glance, yes. Because Jean still stole from him. But after receiving so much more than mere forgiveness, Jean realized that God loves him and has saved him. This tremendous act of overflowing grace has changed his very soul!

Final Thoughts

I am not saying that it would be practical to do so also for businesses. And I am not saying it would be alright to give our belongings to thieves.

But there are times when we are called by God to exercise a kind of generosity that reflects His unfathomable sacrifice for us. And by that heroic act, we save not just money. We help redeem another person’s immortal soul!

“Is there not in every human soul a primitive spark, a divine element, incorruptible in this world and immortal in the next, which can be developed by goodness, kindled, lit up, and made to radiate, and which evil can never entirely extinguish.” - Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”
- Pope John Paul II.

“Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.’ The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, ‘Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” - Luke 23:39-43 (NABRE)

Jocelyn Soriano works full-time as a Catholic writer to share the word of God and invite everyone to take refuge in God’s truth and love.

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