My wallet fell out of my pocket on the way to class today. A student apparently picked it up and gave it to his professor, who spent the morning tracking me down to give it back. I don't think anything was taken out.
Hooray for honest and kind people!
Posted by MEC (Member # 2968) on :
This happened to my father once, but what was even more interresting was that he didn't have any photo id at the time and the person tracked him down by what she/he (I don't remember which) remembered from seeing him drop it.
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
I think I read a Reader's Digress survey one time involving such things. They would fill wallets with a bunch of money, $200 or so, I think, and they would put clear identification in the wallet and see whether it got returned. They did a whole bunch of them in each country, leaving them on park benches. Apparently the Scandinavians are almost universally honest.
Jen
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
That's awesome! Posted by Vv009vV (Member # 2568) on :
reader's digest... now there's a slanted source if i've ever seen one Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Those damn Reader's Digest people have been fronting for the Scandinavian Conspiracy for years now.
Posted by whiskysunrise (Member # 6819) on :
I read a story in the Reader's Digest once about this and they had put $50 in the wallets and watched to see who picked them up and if they were returned with the money or not. They did say that they gave the money to the people as a reward for being honest.
Posted by Mr.Funny (Member # 4467) on :
Yeah, Reader's Digest is a major member of the secret "Nice Scandinavian People Cabal." Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I don't view honesty as something to be rewarded it should be an expected behavior.
Now giving them the $50 for being jerked around, that's OK. Posted by Heffaji (Member # 3669) on :
I just had a similar experience here in Bloomington. I was changing clothes in the gym and accidently left my wallet. About an hour later when I got home, there was already a call from someone who had found my wallet. I had it back within about half an hour.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
When my mother was a single mom with me and my brother, struggling to get by, she cashed her bonus check on Christmas Eve, and then took the money with her to get all the toys out of layaway.
She lost her wallet on the way to the store. Called, searched everywhere, and then came home in tears, with no presents on Christmas Eve and no money to get any with.
A man called her - said he had found her wallet, and he met her at the store, so she could get everything out before the store closed. She said she tried to thank him and he said it wasn't necessary. Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
I like people too..
People are cool. Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Yeah, well, I bet none of these wonderful people put their own grocery carts away. And I bet some of them leave their trash in them, too.
-Verily the Cynic
Posted by Bean Counter (Member # 6001) on :
I found a wallet once and returned after I had used the ID to go to a strip joint!
Hey the guy looked like me!
BC
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
My family once lost our digital camera when we were in Yellowstone... it was sitting in the back of the car, and during one of the many times when we stopped the car, and opened the door to go outside and look at the view, it must have just fallen out, and we didn't notice. We told the rangers, but we didn't even know what area of the park it had fallen in (and you Yellowstone is pretty freaking huge). We despaired of ever getting it back. By the time we left Yellowstone, nobody had reported its finding to us.
When we got home, to Indiana, it was sitting right there in the mailbox, in a postage box! It was so great!
Posted by prolixshore (Member # 4496) on :
The other day I was walking home from the football game. The guy in front of me dropped six bucks on the ground. I picked it up and hurried up to him to give it back. He told me it wasn't his, without even checking, and I had just watched it fall out of his pocket. I said are you sure? He said yeah but that i could split it with him anyway. So i told him I didn't need it and gave it to him.
I wonder if he ever figured out it was his all along?
--ApostleRadio
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, people can be pretty great, can't they? I love people most of the time.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Bah, that's nothing.
Money? Who cares about money?
I left a hardback Agatha Christie compendium at a restauant during Lunch on Wed. I picked it up yesterday morning where they had it waiting for me.
Returning books--that's the mark of nice people.
Oh, yeah.
On our return trip home from Russia we left a money belt with over $3,000 cash in it at a hotel in New York.
The cleaning crew turned it into the lost and found, and the hotel sent us a check for the money.
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Fyfe, whiskeysunrise, I think this is what you are talking about.
BTW, for those who don't want to read it, Norway returned 100% of the wallets, Singapore 90%, Australia 70%, Japan 70%, US 67%, UK 65% and France 60%.
I find this exchange of letters from Opinion Guy amusing.
quote:Burned One too Many Times Opinion Guy, I consider myself a decent man. I work hard, I don't hurt no one and I sure as hell don't let them hurt me. Live and let live I say.
Recently my twelve year old son found someone's wallet in a parking lot. He brought it home and intended to call the owners number which he found on some i.d. which was in the wallet along with three hundred bucks.
I'm not ashamed to tell you I was proud of my boy! Most kids these days would have kept the money, ran the cards to the limits and thrown the rest in the garbage. My boy is good but a little naive. I felt I had to advise him.
I think that kind of honesty should be rewarded, and I knew that if he returned the wallet and money he would get burned. I should know, I've been burned myself on many occasions. Worse yet, if there were already money missing and my son returned the wallet, he would be accused of stealing it himself! People these days are ungrateful!
I advised him to keep the money and to turn the wallet anonymously in to the police. The owner would get his wallet back(which he probably never expected he'd see again), and my son would have a nice little reward for his honesty. Win-win.
My wife didn't see things as clearly as me and with my son and without informing me, returned the wallet and money to the owner. My son told me the man was grumpy and ungrateful in response to their efforts. Surprise surprise! And of course there was no reward. My wife insists they did the right thing, but it's easy to see my son is more disappointed.
Please explain to my wife that I was right so we can get past this mess.
Burned One too Many Times
Dear burned one too Many Times, If you want my opinion...
You need to give your head a shake and take an example from your wife's actions so you can be a better role model to your boy. Luckily your wife's influence on him is showing through but if you don't send a consistent moral message to hers your son will remain disappointed and confused as you say he now is.
Your wife knows that honesty and integrity are always to be practiced. No amount of making excuses or pointing out bad or ungrateful behavior in others will change that fact. And as for rewards... It may sound corny but if you look at honesty as it's own reward, you will never be disappointed.
Think about the values your wife is trying to teach your son. If you still find her actions wrong then maybe you should ask yourself if your reasoning isn't based in selfishness and bitterness.And by the way, you should be proud of your son, and your wife.
Opinion Guy
You know, with all the talk of "Moral Values" that has been going on recently, I've been wondering if anyone has ever done studies to see which religion is the most moral/honest. Or not even religious sects, but if in the different major religions, (Christians, Jews, atheists, etc.,) there was a difference in the honesty/ethical rate.
I think I'll go research that.
Posted by whiskysunrise (Member # 6819) on :
That could have been the one. But to be completely honest, I can't remember for sure. The info did seem right for what I remember. Thanks.
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