Only one Sin
Written by Roc Sherrell (BMTM Founder)
A few months ago, my future father-in-law, known to many as Coach Lee, a solitary landscaper who for two decades has applied his artful touch to nature's canvas, found himself the victim of a most heinous and clandestine act. Fortunately, Coach Lee was not physically harmed during the act, as it was completed while he was away from his truck gathering the last of his equipment.
As I digest the details of this odious crime, I am transported to the realm of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, wherein Baba imparts to his son Amir a profound wisdom: “There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.”
This wisdom, which stretches far beyond the realm of fiction, urges us to consider theft's numerous incarnations and the cascading effects it has upon the soul. The reflections of Immanuel Kant, for instance, with his categorical imperative, shed light on the universal duty to treat others with respect and never as mere means to an end. In this context, the act of theft is not merely a misdeed but a violation of the very essence of human dignity.
Baba goes on to say, "when you kill a man, you steal a life. You deprive his wife of a husband and his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. And when you cheat, you steal the right to fairness."
When you steal the equipment of a hard-working man while he is toiling away at his chosen profession, you not only rob that man of his primary means of contribution to society, as well as his chosen avenue for earning a livelihood and supporting his family. You also deprive yourself of the opportunity to acquire the skills, showcase the work ethic, and implement the discipline it requires to become a solo landscaper through your own efforts and merit, and you ultimately squander the chance to become a person of value, virtue, or veneration.
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” (Ephesians 4:28)
Coach Lee, however, is a person who embodies the philosophy of calm acceptance. Referencing the insight of Marcus Aurelius, calm acceptance involves cultivating a willing and prudent readiness to accept whatever circumstances may come one's way, and not being taken aback by them, as such surprise would be a sign of fear and lack of trust in the gods. One must master approaching these uninvited and unfortunate occasions with equanimity, accepting what he cannot change and working tirelessly to improve the lot of which he can. To act in the inverse is to rob oneself of their own focus, energy, and time, a self-inflicted heist of the highest valued and most precious assets.
Alas, the malefactors who infringed upon Coach Lee's livelihood remain at large, but one may speculate that their own unfulfilling quest to seize what is not rightfully theirs will ultimately deliver them to the justice they so richly deserve. For in the end, it is only through the genuine endeavor to cultivate our virtues and our talents that we may truly attain a sense of worth and self-actualization.
Only one Sin
