Crime & Reward
Those two things do not normally go together, but in my life experience, especially recently, I have had the unique opportunity to experience one as a consequence of the other.
My family was here this past week (end) and one of our activities was to go see a movie. For the second time in as many weeks, I paid the full admission price, a ghastly $11.75 for a single adult ticket, watched one movie, then sneaked in illegally to a second movie for free. The amazing thing, in both cases, the second movie greatly outranked the first in quality. While the first movie left me somewhat satisfied, the second movie left me with a great thrill of accomplishment. It could be a matter of economics, in that the amount I sacrificed for one movie is indirectly related to the amount of fun I could have in seeing a movie, and since I didn't pay anything for the second movie, it allowed me to be free of pleasure restrictions, thus letting me enjoy the movie to new heights.
It could be also a matter of philosophy, in that since I didn't pay for the second movie, I was, in effect, "sticking it to the man", and so I was able to enjoy the movie that much more.
It could just be that the second movie was better than the first movie in both cases, which is the most likely, and what I think I truly believe.
In any case, I took a risk, committed a small offense, and was rewarded to a much greater degree than what the crime entailed. It's not the first time this has happened, though, and quite honestly, I'm surprised by how often I've been able to get away with something and have the end result work out in my benefit.
Any person who has been to my apartment can tell you about the collection of road signs I have on display. Though each one has taken some effort to "borrow" from certain state governments, they have actually been more of a hassle to move, but the collection is well worth having, as I receive nothing but compliments on it (especially the coffee table), and it gives the apartment a great deal of character. I can honestly say that the rewards I have received from added benefit of having the road signs on display in my home have greatly outweighed the risk of felony I may have been prone to.
And if dumpster-diving is a crime, then find me guilty! Several things in my apartment have been gifts from other people's hand-me-downs and quite a few have been snatched right from the street, including the latest additions of a very handsome mirror (the second which I retrieved from the trash) and a musical staff blackboard.
I'm quite proud of the discoveries I have been able to make when casually looking through others' discarded things, and though the behaviors I have adopted over the years may classify me by some as a kleptomaniac, I feel that the risk involved has led to even greater reward. Though there is a chance that taking such a risk could land you flat on your face or in jail, there is also a chance, if you are slick or lucky, that you could wind up with something really cool!
My family was here this past week (end) and one of our activities was to go see a movie. For the second time in as many weeks, I paid the full admission price, a ghastly $11.75 for a single adult ticket, watched one movie, then sneaked in illegally to a second movie for free. The amazing thing, in both cases, the second movie greatly outranked the first in quality. While the first movie left me somewhat satisfied, the second movie left me with a great thrill of accomplishment. It could be a matter of economics, in that the amount I sacrificed for one movie is indirectly related to the amount of fun I could have in seeing a movie, and since I didn't pay anything for the second movie, it allowed me to be free of pleasure restrictions, thus letting me enjoy the movie to new heights.
It could be also a matter of philosophy, in that since I didn't pay for the second movie, I was, in effect, "sticking it to the man", and so I was able to enjoy the movie that much more.
It could just be that the second movie was better than the first movie in both cases, which is the most likely, and what I think I truly believe.
In any case, I took a risk, committed a small offense, and was rewarded to a much greater degree than what the crime entailed. It's not the first time this has happened, though, and quite honestly, I'm surprised by how often I've been able to get away with something and have the end result work out in my benefit.
Any person who has been to my apartment can tell you about the collection of road signs I have on display. Though each one has taken some effort to "borrow" from certain state governments, they have actually been more of a hassle to move, but the collection is well worth having, as I receive nothing but compliments on it (especially the coffee table), and it gives the apartment a great deal of character. I can honestly say that the rewards I have received from added benefit of having the road signs on display in my home have greatly outweighed the risk of felony I may have been prone to.
And if dumpster-diving is a crime, then find me guilty! Several things in my apartment have been gifts from other people's hand-me-downs and quite a few have been snatched right from the street, including the latest additions of a very handsome mirror (the second which I retrieved from the trash) and a musical staff blackboard.
I'm quite proud of the discoveries I have been able to make when casually looking through others' discarded things, and though the behaviors I have adopted over the years may classify me by some as a kleptomaniac, I feel that the risk involved has led to even greater reward. Though there is a chance that taking such a risk could land you flat on your face or in jail, there is also a chance, if you are slick or lucky, that you could wind up with something really cool!
posted by Leland J. Fischer at 11:49 PM
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