No Locker, Locker, Double Locker?

[talon]

I'm a Half-Lock Person.

I lock some things, but not others. For instance, I always lock the car because until I pay for it, it's not really mine, and by the time I have paid for it, I'm so in the habit of locking it that I don't even think about it.

I latch the screen door when I have the front door open because the cats have pushed it open to get out before, but I don't otherwise latch it. Latching it won't keep an intruder out because a good tug will pull the hook right out. It's sturdy enough to keep the cats in and that's about it.

I lock the front door when I leave the house and on windy days. Even when it's locked, if the wind is strong enough, it will still blow the front door open, so I don't know why I bother locking it.

The back door never gets locked. Anyone who can get past the dogs back there is welcome to enter the house because I'm pretty sure no lock would be able to keep them out.

I grew up in rural Germany, where we never locked anything. We knew everyone in the village, and everyone in the neighboring villages. We were in and out of everyone's homes all the time and we knew who had what. Pretty much, we all had the same basic things. We had gates and fenced areas mostly to keep livestock and young children out of the way. Those who had running water and flushies didn't get too many more visitors than anyone else - the wooden one- and two-seater privies were a lot closer and handier most of the time. The running water was kind of a novelty, and handy for hair washing in winter, so they'd host hairwashing parties once a week and we'd all go there with potluck and gifts and cash to wash our hair. Locking doors just plain didn't make sense.

When I moved to the States, I still carried a lot of that rural village attitude with me and I've never really outgrown it.

And as I've gotten older, I know stuff can be replaced.

Locks won't really deter thieves from getting stuff if they really want it, and locks won't keep violent people from entering. Locks may slow them down, but it won't stop them.

I know there are lots of people who don't lock at all, even people with really high break-in rates like New York City.

And there are people who lock all their doors and windows every time they open and close them.

Then there are the people who double lock, triple lock, and lock all up and down the doors: deadbolts, chains, flip locks, padlocks, and door knob locks, and more.

I'm never going to be Double-Locker. I may never be a routine Locker.

What about you? Are you a No Locker, Locker, or Double Locker?