As a practicing criminal defense attorney, I sometimes get to meet and talk with thugs.[1]  Most of the thugs I represent know they are thugs, and some of them are even proud to be thugs.  Most people don't think of themselves as "thugs."  This is because most thugs don't realize they are thugs.  As with most things, the first step to change is an acknowledgment of the facts.  I encourage you to honestly consider whether you are truly a thug.

All human interactions can be boiled down and assigned to one of two possible categories, "voluntary" or "coercive."  The "voluntary" interaction category includes things like charitable acts, all contractual relations, and most interactions among friends.  A truly "voluntary" interaction is one that is knowingly entered into by competent and consenting adults.  The "coercive" interaction category includes things like theft, assault, fraud, and other old fashioned concepts of criminal activity.  The hallmark of this category is the concept of one person forcing his or her will upon another.