Where Thieves Break in and Steal

I like to joke that movies predict the future — but on October 19th of this year, it didn’t feel like a joke. It felt like the prophecies were fulfilled. What happened in Paris looked like a live-action scene straight out of Despicable Me or The Bad Guys.

While tourists and citizens alike enjoyed their traditional croissants at classic French cafés, villainy was on the menu elsewhere.

In less than ten minutes, in broad daylight, thieves broke into the Louvre Museum, smashed through the display cases of the Galerie d’Apollon, and escaped with more than $100 million in crown jewels. They climbed out through a window using a cherry-picker and vanished into the streets on scooters while tourists and staff stood in disbelief.

It was almost unbelievable. How does one of the most famous museums on earth — with security, cameras, guards, and thousands of visitors — lose priceless artifacts right under everyone’s noses?

And the loss wasn’t just financial. These weren’t new acquisitions purchased last year. These jewels were centuries-old, worn by royalty and tied directly to France’s history. They were one-of-one. Irreplaceable. Once gone, they aren’t coming back. Experts fear they’re already in an atelier de démontage clandestin (that’s French for “chop-shop”) where they’ll be dismantled, recut, and lost forever.

But as shocking as this heist was, it’s nothing compared to a much bigger one.

It happens in broad daylight.

It is approved by the government.

It affects every man, woman, and child.

It has been draining our life for over 50 years.

It’s the theft of your time, your energy, and your purchasing power.

It’s called inflation.

The Real Heist: How Inflation Steals From You

Since 1971, when the U.S. fully abandoned the gold standard, the dollar has lost 98% of its purchasing power. What cost $100 then costs around $800 today. A Snickers bar your parents bought for 25 cents now costs $1.50, and is smaller and made with cheaper ingredients. Did I mention it costs more?

If technology makes production cheaper, distribution faster, and logistics more efficient, then why is everything more expensive?

Because inflation is not a natural force. It’s an engineered heist.

Inflation happens because the Federal Reserve creates money out of thin air and injects it into the financial system. Every new dollar dilutes the value of the dollars already in circulation.

Come to think of it, it would be much more accurate if we just called it dilution. But that would be too obvious.

Jack Mallers often speaks about inflation, calling it a hidden tax. The government prints money and you pay the bill. Every dollar they create steals value from every dollar you already earned.

This is why prices rise. This is why wages can’t keep up. This is why your savings don’t go as far. This is why you work harder but feel like you’re stuck in place.

Inflation is theft — slow, silent, legal theft.

And the worst part? The damage is not just financial.

The Human Cost: What Inflation Really Steals

Robert Breedlove is know for saying money is half of every transaction you ever make. So when money breaks, everything begins to break.

Dilution, I mean, inflation pressures you into working longer hours, taking extra jobs, sacrificing time with your family, and chasing promotions not out of calling or excellence — but out of necessity.

It wears down mental health. It strains marriages. It limits choices. It erodes community. It warps identity.

People sell family heirlooms and begin spending their inheritance. They move away from community to chase higher-paying jobs. They feel like failures even though they’re working harder than ever.

This is why inflation is not just an economic issue — it is a psychological and spiritual one. It convinces you that the problem is you.

You are lazy. You lack skills. It’s your fault you’re falling behind. When in reality, the system is designed to push you backward.

Inflation gaslights you.

So What Can You Do?

You’re not going to infiltrate the black market and recover Napoleon’s jewels. You’re not going to single-handedly abolish the Federal Reserve. But you’re also not powerless.

1. Become aware. Tell the truth.

Most people think inflation is as normal as gravity. But the moment you see the system clearly, you stop blaming yourself, and you can start decoupling yourself from those misaligned incentives.

2. Re-align your priorities.

Chasing the next paycheck is not the path to life. Relationships, community, family, faith, health — these are the treasures thieves can’t touch (but want you to forfeit).

3. Live within your means.

Debt fuels the system that steals from you. Responsibility and simplicity are financial strength. This will also reduce anxiety and improve your mental health.

4. Save — even as inflation fights you.

Cash gives you breathing room. It’s a little bit of cushion when the sky is falling and it also creates options.

5. Invest wisely.

If you want to try stock-picking, make sure you’re doing good research. Otherwise, if you want to keep it simple, invest in something like the S&P500. It historically outperforms most hedge funds.

The point is long-term investing is your friend. And we’re fortunate to be alive when nearly anyone can open a brokerage account.

6. Buy Bitcoin.

Bitcoin is savings technology. It has a fixed supply of 21 million, forever. That means no printing, no debasement, and no surprise inflation. It is time and energy that you can buy that protects you from dilution.

As the dollar weakens, Bitcoin will strengthen. The purchasing power of the dollar will continue to fall which means, in simple terms, the price of Bitcoin will continue to rise.

This is not because Bitcoin is magic — but because it can’t be printed into worthlessness.

7. Trust God With Your Finances

This isn’t prosperity hype. This is alignment. Trusting God means structuring your life around His instructions: honesty, diligence, generosity, integrity, long-term thinking, service to others.

When these become your moral foundation (because money is moral), you build a community that embodies those values — a community that protects, supports, and strengthens each other against the systems that seek to steal.

Jesus said: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. But instead accumulate treasures in heaven.”

Earthly treasures can be stolen — quickly or slowly. Heavenly treasure cannot.

And while the Louvre can lose its jewels, and while inflation can erode the value of money, nothing can steal the treasure you place in God’s hands.

And while you prepare for heaven, you just might end up improving the situation here on earth.