Crimes Through The Years

Ever since humans began the revolution of agriculture, with it came the feeling of “mine” and “yours” People began to own land, food, and resources. And obviously, there was a degree of imbalance between the ownership.

Some owned many and some owned few. Some had ten times what they needed and some had to sleep empty stomach. Such an imbalance of food and property made the underprivileged jealous, envious and desperate. 

The desire to own more, and be rich began to develop. Such feeling was never there before because humans were hunter-gatherers and nobody owned anything. And when no one owns anything, there will be no feeling of resentment.

But with the revolution of agriculture, there came a wave of a thing known as ‘crime’ where people began to entitle themselves to things and resources. So, the disadvantaged began to steal food, rob the rich, and snatch what belonged to others just so they could survive. And now many lives later, in modern society, such a tendency is still there, because economic inequality still suffocates them. 

But as we’ve entered the new age, crimes have also evolved. Human society keeps on growing, and with it also grows crimes and despair. Because income inequality is still there and will only increase. 

The amount of wealth owned by the richest person today used to be the total amount of wealth countries used to own centuries ago. So, the rich will only get richer and the poor will keep being poor. And in a such desperate state, crimes can develop. So, one of the major reasons for crimes is poverty.

Some people thoroughly consider their options before deciding to commit a crime to maximize reward and minimize risk. Robberies, burglaries, and auto theft are all examples of property crimes that are motivated by the desire for material gains like money or pricey possessions. 

In previous times, people used to steal food or items needed for survival. As society grows, crime also grows. And the range of it has also extended. Planned crimes aren’t done for survival, but they are done to be filthy rich or to achieve some greater political advantage.

One of the most infamous criminals of all time – Pablo Escobar was filthy rich. He even came on the Forbes list as one of the top 10 richest people in the world. His motive at first was to escape poverty but with time his fortune became mountainous.

So even the greatest criminal’s first motive was to escape poverty. And attempts to escape it are still there in today’s society as crimes are soaring high. Today crimes are happening in poor as well as rich countries. 

The countries coined as ‘developed’ or ‘rich’ also have poor people, and it also has crime rates that are soaring out of control. Why are people looting and killing for money? If people have an ill wish or evil thoughts like; envy, then why is it there? Was the agricultural revolution all good? Did it bring with it a weapon of mass destruction? The revolution paved the way for modern society, and it did bring evolution among humans.

We are said to be ‘smart’ and ‘inventive’ but what good was it, if it also puts a gap between the biologically same humans? We are the same at birth but later societal norms separate us and put us in our place.

Poor people are crushed by the complexities of modern society, the economical hierarchy, and the brutality of the ‘rich’. With no one at their aid, and no support from the government, where would they go, what would they do to survive? Such is the complexity of our time. The desperation of the underprivileged leads to crime. Nepal is no exception. 

Crimes are also high in this nation. The official website of the Government of Canada has listed Nepal as a nation where visitors should “exercise a high degree of caution”, particularly because of the fragile political and security situation.

They have warned their citizens saying crime is high there and dangers can be in the busy city of Thamel to lone hiking trails – especially for solo trekkers. Even though there have been no ugly crimes directed toward tourists, pickpocketing, and looting have been recorded. And the Canadian government also advises its citizens at the time of visiting Nepal to avoid traveling at night. 

But crimes do not always spur out of poverty. Apart from poverty; greed, rage, jealousy, retaliation, or pride are all acceptable justifications for criminal behavior. When a risky crime is completed successfully, other people experience an adrenaline rush. Violent crimes including murders, assaults, and rapes are motivated by desires for power, retribution, or control. Some criminals act impulsively, furiously, or in terror. 

Many abusers harass women because they say it puts them in a position of power. So, criminals aren’t always in it for money. The gun violence in the US, is it for money? Or are people simply frustrated? Why are people taking weapons, causing crimes to pour out their frustrations? And crimes can be of two types; one that is planned and the other is impulse. Crimes are done on negative emotions.

So many evil emotions can be executed through either detailed planning or acting based on impulse. People’s lives have been deranged due to criminal activities. The lives of the innocent have been taken away, and so much pain and toil that could have been avoided has happened, and this will continue to be the trend in the days to come if some social issues aren’t addressed. The roots of crimes begin from society and it hampers society alone. 

(Anil is a fiction writer.)