Trollheart

Say the rule of law disappeared tomorrow, and there was no way you could be charged for any crime, would you commit any? Is our reluctance (mostly) to engage in criminal behaviour more down to our inherent morality, the right and wrong we have learned from our parents and from society, or just the fear of being caught?

Note: I'm not talking about a zombie apocalypse or the aftermath of a nuclear strike or any situation where you would be expected to, even compelled to, suspend your moral compass in order to ensure survival. This has nothing to do with that. It's a theoretical tomorrow when the law disappears. What do you do? Do you take advantage of being able to commit any crime you want, or do you retain the moral codes you have (presumably) lived your life by?

Personally, would I murder anyone? No, absolutely not. Because I believe and have been brought up to believe it is wrong to take a life, plus I can see the consequences of that action: the possible children left behind, the loved ones, the ones who rely on the person I would murder. I find murder abhorrent in all cases, and while there may be some slight justification for same (Hitler, maybe Bin Laden etc) in general the idea of it is repugnant to me.

Would I rape someone? Again, not a chance. The wrongness of this act is ingrained in my psyche and I would never do such a thing.

Would I steal from someone? Not a person, no. Not like a burglary or a street hold up. Possibly from a bank. In fact, yes, if I knew I would never be punished for it, almost definitely. Banks have screwed me for all my adult life so I would not feel the same moral repugnance relieving them of millions that I would stealing a much smaller amount from a person, face to face. Does that make me a coward? Probably, but it proves I still have some moral compass I direct my actions by.

What do you guys think?

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018