Such are the perplexing times we live in...

Do people really not know the value of something? Sometimes, something that, on the face of it, does not appear to have much value is so in demand. By contrast, something that would obviously have value is being haggled over in respect of its price.

Did you hear about the vegetable vendor in India whose shop was broken into but the only things stolen were sacks of onions? Even the cash box remained intact and untouched. Yes, there was a container full of the previous day’s earnings but, very strangely, the thieves were not interested in it. Clearly they saw no value in the readily available cash.

But in all fairness to India, there appears to be a shortage of Indian onions in the marketplace. I haven’t been able to buy any in quite some time. I take it that is because they’re in short supply in India too as crops have failed due to poor weather conditions. As you know onions are pretty important in the cooking process because virtually no dish can be cooked without onions being the key ingredient in the initial cooking stage. And that’s the reason they were stolen. There is a shortage and they are critical for everyone. But I still think it’s weird considering there was cash for the taking.

There are other kinds of weird thefts all over the place, not just in India I might add. Seemingly mundane items can be stolen by anyone in many, many other parts of the world.

In some places, something as an unattended and used hosepipe can go missing. Other seemingly commonplace pieces, that don’t appear to be of value in a buyer’s market because they’ve been used several times over, that are ripe for the taking include hosepipes often left lying around the exterior of a house. Also vulnerable are your garden gnomes, terracotta plant pots, with or without a plant in them, and even a small patch of grass on your lawn. It appears that some people are so desperate to make a bit of money that they’ll pilfer anything you leave outside, even if it’s a fixture or fitting.

If you have installed taps outside so that you can water your garden, be warned that, in some countries, even though a tap is permanently fixed to your exterior wall, a determined thief will yank it off. The tap is made of a metal which will be sold off, melted down and be reshaped into something else. You’ll never be able to trace it. The same goes for any pipes that might be protruding out of a wall, light fixtures and anything else that’s fixed to your external façade and which can be sold, even for small change. That appears to be the level of desperation in some thieves today.

There is also the risk of your electric or water bill skyrocketing because many homes have outlets on the outside so they can plug in their lawnmower. This is because when thieves discover your house has been vacant for a while they decide that they have free reign over your electricity and water. They’ll charge their mobile phones, have a quick shower and naughty neighbours might even decide to wash their cars with your water to save their own water bill.

Now, if you decide to install a surveillance camera in the hope of deterring such kinds of petty thefts, water and electricity aside, I am inclined to think that the camera is likely to be stolen as well.

I’ve also learnt that some people have a bizarre and illogical mentality. If you put a price on something, no matter how low it is, someone will always want it for an even lower price. In fact, I would even go further and state that if you offer something for free, someone will always ask for two free things instead. Is that a kind of steal too?

I suppose it’s a sign of the times when anything is up for grabs, regardless of its innate value, or lack thereof, in normal world. I think something is seriously wrong with the world, and society in general, when, to a thief, a vegetable becomes more valuable than readily available cash. Such are the times we live in.