待“客”之道

by Jesse Hunter

Have you ever stolen anything？ Be honest. I know youve at least thought about it. Everyone thinks about it—and believe it or not， most people eventually act on these sinful thoughts， in one way or another. Animals steal food and shelter from each other all the time. Robin Hood is famous for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. So it seems， in some instances， stealing can be a good thing， right？ If so， then who has this all-encompassing right to decide what can be stolen， and from whom？ To what lengths are the victims of said thievery willing to go， to defend what is rightfully theirs？ If a burglar broke into your home， what possessions would you fight the hardest for？ Or would you fight at all？ As a westerner living in the Far East， I get overcharged so much that it often feels like robbery. But rather than haggling， I always pay the asking price. Why is that， you ask？ I simply remind myself that an extra couple bucks may be pocket change to me， but it could mean a family dinner to a struggling street vendor.

I Attacked Two Burglars shows how far one 60 year-old woman was willing to go to protect her precious heirlooms. I Met My Burglars on Holiday shows how a single burglary can turn an otherwise simple family into a group of amateur detectives， who end up getting a bit carried away. Ninja Hunt follows the trail of a mysterious thief， whose legendary heists sent Staten Island into an all out frenzy. And I Cant Stop Stealing gives you a glimpse into the mind of an “honest” kleptomaniac.

Stealing is wrong， in almost every circumstance. So when is it acceptable then？ Thats up to you to decide. All things considered， I happen to think its alright for people to steal what they really need. But only from those who have plenty of loot to spare. And thieves beware： not everyone is as gracious as yours truly…

你曾經(jīng)偷過(guò)東西嗎？請(qǐng)誠(chéng)實(shí)回答。我知道起碼你有想過(guò)。每個(gè)人都想過(guò)——而且信不信由你，多數(shù)人最終還是為惡念所控，以這樣或那樣的方式做了壞事。長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)，動(dòng)物間相互偷奪食物及地盤(pán)。羅賓漢以劫富濟(jì)貧而聞名遐邇。所以看起來(lái)，在某些情況下，偷竊也可以是件好事，不是嗎？如果是這樣的話，那么誰(shuí)有這個(gè)至高無(wú)上的權(quán)利來(lái)決定什么能被盜，以及能從誰(shuí)那里盜取呢？受害于上述盜賊的失主們又愿意花多大勁兒來(lái)保衛(wèi)自己的正當(dāng)財(cái)產(chǎn)呢？假使一個(gè)盜賊潛入了你的家中，什么財(cái)物是你會(huì)拼盡全力去保護(hù)的？又或者，你會(huì)反抗嗎？作為一個(gè)生活在遠(yuǎn)東的西方人，我經(jīng)常被人敲竹杠，感覺(jué)與搶劫無(wú)異。但比起討價(jià)還價(jià)，我總是寧愿付出要價(jià)。你會(huì)問(wèn)，為什么要那樣？我只是提醒自己，多付的幾塊錢(qián)對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)也許只不過(guò)是筆小錢(qián)，但那對(duì)于苦苦謀生的小販而言可能意味著一家人的晚餐。

《老太智斗雙煞》一文展現(xiàn)了一位六旬老嫗會(huì)使出多少力氣來(lái)保護(hù)自己珍貴的傳家寶?！段遗c怪盜的不了“情緣”》講述了一次盜竊如何將一個(gè)原本單純的家庭變成了一組業(yè)余偵探，最終還有點(diǎn)神經(jīng)兮兮?！度陶摺吧裢怠薄分v述了一個(gè)追蹤神秘竊賊的故事，那位竊賊傳奇的盜竊史令斯塔頓島陷入了徹底混亂?！兑粋€(gè)慣偷的自白》一文將帶你走進(jìn)一個(gè)“誠(chéng)實(shí)”竊盜癖的內(nèi)心世界，一窺究竟。

在幾乎所有的情況下，偷盜都是錯(cuò)的。那什么情況下是可以接受的呢？那得全由你決定。思慮周詳之后，我突然覺(jué)得人們竊其真正所需并無(wú)大礙。但是只能從囤著大量“不義之財(cái)”的人手里竊取。還有小賊們注意了：并不是每個(gè)人都像你摯愛(ài)的我那般慈悲為懷的……

俗話說(shuō)得好：“來(lái)者皆是客”，古語(yǔ)又有云：“有朋自遠(yuǎn)方來(lái)，不亦樂(lè)乎”，照此推斷，我們理應(yīng)待客猶如春天般溫暖，可這世間的事物總有兩個(gè)針?shù)h相對(duì)的對(duì)立面，讓人無(wú)法左右逢源：有美，即有丑；有善，即有惡；而這“客”，也就還有那么一種叫做——不速之“客”。他們不請(qǐng)自來(lái)；他們“老虎不在家，猴子稱(chēng)霸王”；他們比傳說(shuō)中的“熊孩子”更多了不只一絲的能耐、狡黠和邪惡。

縱覽古今中外，這偷雞摸狗的“客”，可真所謂是遍布全球。中有民間諺語(yǔ)生活總結(jié)：“偷風(fēng)不偷月，偷雨不偷雪。夜黑風(fēng)變賊作案，風(fēng)緊雨急狼出窩?！蓖庥猩勘葋喅鲋\劃策：“The robbed that smiles， steals something from the thief.”

面對(duì)這些不請(qǐng)自來(lái)的“客人”，我們要使出多少力氣反抗，又或者要不要反抗呢？如何對(duì)付不速之“客”，這真是個(gè)問(wèn)題。本期主題將通過(guò)四篇文章向大家展示人們與盜賊之間的四段“浪漫”邂逅：其中有人選擇以暴治邪，有人選擇一笑了之，有人選擇追查到底，更有人選擇以身試法、以此為樂(lè)?？偠灾?，這待“客”之道還真得具體問(wèn)題、具體分析，仔細(xì)選擇一番才好！

——MS