Let’s say you found a bag with about a good amount of money in there. What will you do?
Will you take the money? Or will you return it to its rightful owner?
This question ponders on everyone’s mind. If you find it, you are the rightful owner… so you can justify that it’s yours.
Do you wonder if it’s your responsibility to return it to the person who lost it? What happens if that was the money that was to be used to pay for a medical emergency? Or it was the payment for a month long work that would be used to feed a family?
I know that I can make it more difficult. But, you do not know anything about the person who lost that money.
When I used to work in restaurants, there had been numerous times when clients left their wallets, purses and even by mistake — left more tips that the amount of the paid bill.
In every case, I would take the valuable and run behind the client to return their items. If it was a extreme large tip, I would make sure that they did it on purpose (so far, they were all accidental). If the item was not recovered, the item was locked in a drawer until the client came back to claim it.
Every time, I was graciously thanked. There was never a reward… watching their stunned and glad face expression was already rewarding since it was the responsible and honest thing to do.
I have lost things and felt really bad when I did. I wished someone would return them. But, it seldom happened. I experience some anger at myself for being so careless. It seems unjust. I don’t like that feeling… and do not like it when someone else experiences it.
I was moving into a new place and while the previous tenants were moving out the day before. The previous tenants were obnoxious when they moved out. They did not make a lasting impression. They were angry since they were stressed out of moving out and wanted a few more days… even though they agreed to move out that day.
I would give them more days, but I already had everything arranged to move in that day. I could not change my plans.
They also left some trash and did not clean everything they were supposed to. I called them to pick up some of the furnitures and boxes that I left outside, and they made a bid deal about it. It took them a few days to pick their left items and did not make any effort to help clean the place.
It took me a few days to clean the place. I finally could unpack and was cleaning the cabinets as I put thing in them. When I got to a corner cabinet that was high and on top of the refrigerator, I found a few valuable items… crystals and expensive kitchen items.
I was delighted since I needed them. It was a nice surprise. I wanted to keep them really badly. But, I didn’t. I called the previous tenants and let them know about it. They wasted no time to pick them up. They barely show a small gratitude, said thank you and left.
Up to this date, I thought about that incident, and how these people probably didn’t deserve to get those items back.
But, I also thought back if I kept those items and how that would affect me. Well, every time I used those items would have reminded me of these unpleasant people. I would remember how I found it and why I kept them.
Mainly, it will make me feel uneasy and very uncomfortable. This is not a feeling that I wanted hanging on me.
I know by being honest… it kept from putting a load on my life. I’m happy about it. I don’t need to hide anything.
No matter how small or valuable something is to you… if you did not earn it, you should not keep it. You might think it will make you happy, but it won’t. Your conscious will not accept it.
The happiness you feel is just temporarily… it’s not permanent. You want permanent happy feeling.
So next time you find something that is not yours, during the elate and happy feeling you have… think about how it will make you feel in the long term. Will you be happy or not?
Be honest to yourself and you will experience honest happiness for the rest of your life.