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It is often said, "innocent unless proven guilty". But how often do we pronounce judgment on someone without thinking twice based on how we feel.

During my childhood, my family usually just has enough money to get by, and I often found myself with little or no pocket money. Fueled by jealousy whenever I saw some of my schoolmates having nice school bags, new pencil case, or tidbits to eat, I resulted in stealing from some of them or at provision shops to satisfy my needs. In my case, my behavior is unacceptable, but sometimes, things might not always be as it seems. There could be a deeper underlying reason behind the behavior.

There are people who steal to draw attention to themselves. They could come from perfectly good family, maybe even well-off, but they may be yearning for attention from their busy parents, who more often and not, leave the duties of taking care of their kids to their maid.

Then there are those with a medical condition known as "kleptomania". In the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (http://www.m-w.com/), the term "kleptomania" is described as "a persistent neurotic impulse to steal especially without economic motive". Someone who is a kleptomaniac often does not steal for the monetary rewards, and they may not even realize they have committed an offense until later or when confronted. Such people usually need to seek professional help to overcome their problems.

The strangest reason I have heard about are people who claim to steal from the rich to give to the poor, or so they call themselves the modern day robin hood. While their purpose seems to be very noble, there is no room for this in our society. There are avenues for the poor to seek proper help, and if we really want to help, it should be out of my own capabilities. Stealing to help should never be a consideration, and our judiciary system will frown upon this kind of behavior.

In conclusion, whatever reason there is, it is not good enough to justify our actions. We should not use our problems as an excuse for stealing. Similarly, we should not pass judgment on someone who steals and deem this person a threat to the society. Rather, we should find out the reason behind this behavior and try to resolve the real problem.

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