Thinking to Avoid the Alternative.

By the time I reached the supermarket this morning, my mind was in a state close to fracture. So, in order to give the poor thing a break, I considered the question of whether there is anything inherently unethical about stealing.

I inclined to the view that there probably isn’t, that the only unethical aspect is the loss and dismay caused to other people. And I supposed that the nub of the question is the concept of ownership which we are conditioned to take for granted. There are those who argue that ownership is a flawed, divisive and unhealthy concept, and there were monks in the Middle Ages who claimed that it was even un-spiritual. They were subjected to death by burning on the orders of the Holy Roman Church for saying as much. The Holy Roman Church was a great believer in ownership. But who was right?

I came to no definite conclusion, but it did help dear old mind to feel less fractured, which just goes to prove that thinking can be useful.

This afternoon it was ‘The Infinite Divisibility of Space as it Relates to Crossing the North Pole’ that was given the job of calming the mind. I came to no conclusion on that one, either.

Sarah’s horse has got his equine companion back and no longer scowls at me. I think there might be a lesson to be drawn there, maybe even a conclusion.