Am I a thief?
I found a wallet on the ground today with a $140 in it. I totally could have sent it back to the owner, but I took the money and left the wallet on the ground. I feel a bit guilty about it now, but I also think people need to keep track of their shit. In the past I’ve seen people drop their wallet and chased after them to give it back. But this time I just didn’t care. Maybe it was the inconvenience. Not sure how to feel about myself.
Mar 22, 2013
Whether or not someone would return the wallet or do what you did is based largely on their mood and the circumstances, moreso than them being a “good” or “bad person, I think. There are few people who wouldn’t take $140 if given a blatant, repercussion free opportunity. I may or may not have taken the money, but I would probably send the person their wallet just so that they didn’t have to go to all the trouble of getting a new ID, credit cards, etc. because that shit is the worst part of losing your wallet. You could have just told them the money was already gone when you found it, and then justified it in your head as a finders fee. Shitty things are easier to swallow if you can build something for yourself to feel good about into the whole thing ; )
Yeah, I’ve had to make this decision a few times. One time at Disneyland I turned a wallet in to lost and found with over $300 in it. You can’t ruin someone’s day at the happiest place on earth. Another time I sent someone their wallet but took $20 for my trouble. Getting new ID is a pain. And it’s cool to return family photos. But another time I found $80 on the floor at a bar and there’s no way I was going to go around and ask people if it was theirs. Weird how morality is circumstantial.
no one expects to get the cash back but it is nice to return (or make an effort to return) the wallet, cards and photos.
honest theif? don’t worry you just have to live with yourself…knowing you’re a peice of shit who can only be trusted with the threat of violence or jail. you have no real friends, only people you exploit. well, good luck with that.