By Hiran de Silva
A friend saw my CD collection and asked,
“Can I borrow this one?”
I said, “No — my moral standards forbid it. You should buy your own.”
He agreed… then paused.
“Okay,” he said, “suppose I break into your house at gunpoint, steal it, copy it, and return it the next day.
You didn’t lend it, so you’re innocent.
You didn’t sign a contract to protect it with your life.
And if I return it, no harm done.
Except maybe wasting police time.”
He had a point.
After long thought, I concluded that one way or another, he was going to copy it.
And honestly, if he didn’t, he probably wouldn’t have bought it anyway.
So I lent it to him — not because I lack ethics, but because I examined them too closely.
Let’s face it: people lend books, CDs, DVDs, and apparently… even more personal items.
Maybe it’s not because we don’t care, but because we do.
So perhaps I’ll just put a box outside with a sign:
“Please borrow and copy responsibly.”
Is it theft, or is it community service?
You decide.
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