"Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that?"
"No, Baba jan," I said, desperately wishing I did. I didn't want to disappoint him again. [...]
"When you kill a man, you steal a life," Baba said. "You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see?" [...]
"There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir," Baba said. "A man who takes what's not his to take, be it a life or a loaf of naan...I spit on such a man. And if I ever cross paths with him, God help him. Do you understand?"
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
My story is typical, my failed attempts regrettable, and my excuses feeble as the next. For 7 years, 3 months, and 6 days I have paid money to gamble with nicotine. Despite my loving family's requests to stop, I drove on saying, "last can...last can...last can." I will cease selfishly stealing a husband from my wife, a father from my daughter, and truth from myself. The time is now; be quit.
Quit Date: 25AUG2014
- Dave
