Moral dilemmas... temple theft

[Eastern Mind]

At your temple people occasionally leave coins sitting out on shrines. As you are doing pradakshina, you witness a child you don't know about 8 years old grab a coin, and put in her/his pocket. You are able by observation, to identify the parents, but recogise them as high up in the temple's unique stratification. The father is the current president of the board, something like that. What do you do?

Aum Namasivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namast� EM,

I see no moral dilemma, perhaps political ( no? ). The approach as I see it is a teaching moment and not one of finances.


I would like to know if my child took something so I can align what is right and not so right to do.


praṇām

[Star]

Namaste

I agree with yajvan. The child is probably much too young to know he's stealing/causing damage, so anything said makes it a teaching moment (so as long as one doesn't walk up to the parents saying "Look! Your child's a thief!" or something like that).

I do remember my younger sister "stealing" a watch from a shop when she was about 6(?), she liked it so she simply put it around her wrist and walked off...and the staff knew my parents (we all lived locally) so they were much too "scared" to tell them because they thought it'd be rude as they were valued costumers... When they got to the car my mother realised my sister was wearing a watch that wasn't hers, so they went back to give it back; mother was terribly embarrassed...

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste:

Yajvan, Star: Thanks for your answers. I guess I agree too. The only 'moral' dilemma would be to tell or not to tell, and the answer is rather obvious. I guess I'll have to dream up better dilemmas.

I had a similar real life experience a few weeks ago. I was landscaping, walking back and forth on the parking lot. A father and son came in. The father went into the car to pray, but the son (about 10 - 12) stayed in the car with his video game. About 5 minutes later I noticed some littering (napkin, candy wrapper) just outside his window. At first I went by and just said in a friendly way, "Young man, you dropped something out your window," thinking he might take a hint. He didn't.

So eventually the father came out of the temple. So I went over to the father and explained it to him. So he tells his son to get out and pick it up. I get this typical teenage rebellion to authority stare I'm all too familiar with. He proceeds to pick up 2 of the 3 items. They drive off, and I get the remaining trash, and put in in the big bin. I get the satisfaction of duty that I tried, and maybe the 'teaching moment' had some kind of effect.

Aum Namasivaya

[shian]

Namaste,

also parents who with child go to Temple must more care

i see parents pray but children are screaming and playing around temple !

is good to your son to go to temple, but you must know first , are you can control them ? or you dont have ability to control your own children ?

if we cannot controlled them and we take them to temple, if they disturbing others in the temple, it is not their mistake, it is our mistake