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Rare Insights About Daily Habits From the “Gentleman Bandit”
A single daily habit and its unintended consequences.
I didn’t know the author had escaped jail when I picked up a short book called The Spiritual Path in my favorite bookstore. Nor did I know that he’d been a convicted bank robber.
But I’m still glad I read it, and I learned a lot from it.
The author of The Spiritual Path, Gregory David Roberts, was called the “Gentleman Bandit” in his younger years. He got this nickname because he wore a three-piece suit whilst committing bank robberies. He was also unfailingly polite to the people he robbed.
Eventually, Roberts was arrested and sentenced to prison. But he then escaped jail and fled to India. After being caught again, Roberts returned home to his native Australia and served the rest of his prison sentence.
Roberts started robbing banks to fund his drug habit. He became addicted to heroin after his marriage fell apart and he lost access to his young daughter. That’s not something he mentions in The Spiritual Path.
I’m open-minded, and I believe that everyone we invite into our lives has a gift for us. Everyone we meet — whether in person or through their words — has a lesson for us.
