I was watching the news yesterday and they were talking about this volcano eruption in Kongo and that 60 people had died in a gasstation explosion because they were stealing gas. They would run over lava that was starting to cool down with barrels full of gas.
What people in their right mind would go into a gasstation when there is a stream of lava heading for it...? and whats more, what are these people thinking, buildng a city... and not a small one mind you no the damn capital right next to an active volcano? They said that the last eruption was in 1977 and 3000 people died and you'd think that would have given these people clue as to maybe... move.

I don't want to sound racist or anything (believe me I'm not, I hate everybody equally) but this just puzzles me endlessly...

Maybe they were very poor, and figured they could make themselves some money?

Apparantly a LOT of people have walked over the solidifying lava in order to get back to their homes to salvage their property and look for missing family members. Any of us might do the same.

As for building a city in dagerous locations.... well... what about cities built on the San Andreas fault in the US, as well as in other known earhquake and volcano zones earthwide? There is usually good reason for building in such areas, like soil fertility, for example.
I personally would not choose to live in such an area! I think it's insane! But people who do seem to think nothing of it. I guess its what you are used to. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Lands around volcanoes are extremely fertile due to the ash that gathers. For some people the risk is worth it for a gaurantee that they won't starve in the short term. Remember that they were poor in a way that we can't imagine, desperately poor and displaced even before they moved there. So I think that might explain why they built it there... as for going back for stuff... they must have thought it was worth it. I don't know if they fully understod the risk or if they just thought it would all be worth it if they pulled it off. Either way, I am with you here, looking back on it it was a incredibly daft thing to do.

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In the first post, Jorath mentioned that they were thieving gas, not going back for family. In that post, I agree with him. Whether they are poor or not, stealing is stealing, and no means can justify it.

Yet, Fljotsdale brought up the previously unmentioned truth that family and home was there, and if I felt like maybe something of my home had survived that I could go back and take what was mine (hoping that nobody stole anything), then yeah...I would try to go back as soon as I felt safe in my mind...If I had been separated from family, then that seems to be the place where I could hope to see them again, as I would imagine they would know that I would attempt to go back there. If I got there first and had to wait on everyone else to wait until a safer time, that's ok.</font>

Yes what Larry said, I'd understand it if they were going back to their houses to see if anything was still there to save but stealing an flammable liquid when there is lava flowing around the city is were they lost me.

OK, I am with you now.

But I wouldn't describe it as "stealing" myself. The petrol in question is hardly going to be of much use to its owner in its present position. I wouldn't personally be morally troubled by it, but I still agree that it is not the most thought-through of actions in the circumstances.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Larry_OHF:
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Stealing is stealing, and no means can justify it.

<hr></blockquote> I'll talk to you again when your kids are dying because you don't have the money to buy food.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Dreamer128:
I'll talk to you again when your kids are dying because you don't have the money to buy food.<hr></blockquote>
But Dreamer as Larry said stealing is stealing even when it is done by people in need. In my opinion those people were trying to steal gas because they thought that they will earn money because the owner left them their. There are always some people that they will do such a thing even if this means that they might die.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sir Byronas:

But Dreamer as Larry said stealing is stealing even when it is done by people in need. In my opinion those people were trying to steal gas because they thought that they will earn money because the owner left them their. There are always some people that they will do such a thing even if this means that they might die.<hr></blockquote>

They would have a good case in court as technically the owner had abandoned the barrels to be destroyed thus he would count as having thrown them away. There is no way a prosecutor would be able to argue that the owner had left them to collect them later as they would certainly have been destroyed in his abscence (or in his presence, come to that, if they weren't moved). They were driven to do it as they had no money and saw a way to take a huge risk for huge reward. It didn't pay off, but if it had done then they would have gained hugely from it. I think they might be forgiven this one crime in the circumstances.

I would see it as "foraging".