Asteya, Non Stealing

Thou Shalt Not Steal. This commandment is found in some form amoung all peoples; only those societies in which all property is communally shared find it unnecessary.

The desire to possess another's belongings can be powerful and destructive to both individuals and to society. It involves a tremendous breach of trust. The parent who entrusts the care of his or her child to another only to find that their son or daughter has been abused not only feels their own pain but the pain of their child as well. Workers who labored for years for their company under the assumption that they would have their retirement years paid for discover that their pension plan was raided by corrupt managers who bankrupted the company and left them not only without jobs but without their retirement plans. Artists who create paintings, music, or other art and find others plagiarizing their works or creating new works incorporating portions of their work without attribution or compensation.

Placing yourself in the other person's shoes for even a moment, think about you would feel if someone took everythink you owned, destroyed something you cared deeply about, harmed someone you loved for no reason other than they desired to possess something you owned. Perhaps you might have given it to them if they had but asked nicely. In building a world without violence, one based on love, we must begin by holding ourselves to a higher standard. These first three Yamas all mesh together - Ahimsa, non harming of ourselves as well as others; Satya, truth in thoughts, words, and actions; and now Asteya, not stealing, not breaching of trust, not misappropriating or misusing another's belongings. By respecting the property of others, you really are showing respect for yourself.