Interesting, but the wallet has money but I think you should keep the money because money is money and money can’t buy happiness but money can buy stuff that can make you happy
Returning the wallet will dig into my precious time (time is money, after all). Why should I have an ethical obligation to spend my time and energy returning the wallet? You can pretend to be ethical, but the fact of the matter is that people spend money on cappacinos and new clothes even though there is famine in the world. Noone is ethical.
My wife has lost her wallet twice. There was money in it. and the debit card was compromised for even more money the 1st time. Neither time was the wallet returned.
When I was searching for a prompt to write about out of 300 this is one that really caught my eye and got me thinking. What would I do if I found a wallet on the ground? This takes some thinking but in all honesty it should be something we don't think about at all. If I found a wallet on the ground the obvious choice would be to turn it up to someone that could return it to its rightful owner. Recently I lost my wallet and I freaked out. I wondered what if I dropped it at that store or it fell out of the car on the way in. Later that day my brother found it in the most random spot, under my bed. This made me realize and wonder what would happen if I did lose my wallet or I found someone else's. The only other example that I can remember that relates to finding money in a wallet was when I found $3 on the parking lot floor. I decided to take it to the front desk and they said I could just take it. Moral of the story if you do the right thing you might get lucky and end up benefiting. Another interesting point is what if you attempted to return a wallet to someone and you can't find the owner, if you keep it is it considered stealing. According to the article a recent study shows that people are actually more likely to return a wallet containing more money. I find this pretty agreeable. I think if I found $5 on the ground I would be more likely to return it than if I found $200.
@DT Block 1
Part 2: This honestly feels like a karma thing, how lucky are you to find that amount of money on the ground. So to summarize this yeah if I found a wallet or a good amount of money in the ground I probably would return this because you never know you might get lucky and be able to keep it.
If I saw a wallet laying on the ground, left behind, I would always give it to someone I trusted or try to find the person who lost it on my own. I would try anything and everything to get it back to its rightful owner.
One of the biggest reasons is because I am a naturally nice person, I believe, and I always feel the right thing to do is be truthful. I believe in what Alain Cohn says: “The evidence suggests that people tend to care about the welfare of others and they have an aversion to seeing themselves as a thief.” I would never want the guilt trapped in me and the knowledge that I am a thief. It is not a fun name to be known by even if you are the only one with the knowledge of this secret.
The amount of money in the test wallet as explained in the article varied tremendously and almost 100% of the time people around the world would return the wallet although the predicted studies showed that the nature of human beings would be more likely to take the wallet if it contained money. This shows that even though our economy is corrupt and unstable in many ways we are all good people deep down in our hearts.
If I found I wallet I would definitely return it either it had money in it or not. I would do so not only because I strongly believe that this is the right and moral thing to do but also because I feel that I could not stand myself to considered to keep something that I don’t belong. Hide the fact that you have found something is also a kind of thief! Therefore I feel empathy for the person that lost the wallet. The world would be much better if we all act the way that we want others to behave to us. So I would be so happy and greatful if someone returns me my lost wallet. But I could understand the temptation that a poor person is into when finds money. This research was the perfect opportunity to show that although the financial background of someone most of the people tend to be moral, decent and have ethical values
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My first thought if I found a wallet is to check if it isn’t empty and if there is an identity inside. I would try to return the wallet personally or with police help without any hesitation.
I would return the wallet in any case, either it has 5$ or 10000$ inside. The wallet isn’t mine and it must be returned to its owner. I can’t stand to keep it, I believe that it is unappropriated and not ethical.
Also, this can happen to any of us, I mean to lose something, and generally, I believe that we would make better decisions if put ourselves in the other person’s shoes for a second.
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If i found a wallet in the street or another area, first of all i would open it to find if there is an ID inside , or some informations for the person who lost the wallet. Even if there were 5$ 200$or 3000$ it wouldn't change my decision. I would find the first police station and i would give it to find the owner. I can't think that there are people in the world that they would do the oposite. I understand that homless people are a lot,but the most of them have ethos and they would do the same. In nowadays where people live in crisis era, and they lost their jobs, they are in need, we are in need and if we want a better feauture we have to do the right thing and respect each other.
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That’s an interesting issue and this is the reason why the above survey was complicated and its results were different depending on the existence of money or the height of the amount. Immediately, I gave a positive answer on the question of whether I would return the loosen wallet. However, on second thought I wondered if this is dependent on someone’s circumstances and way of life! First of all, if someone isn’t a criminal and lives normally, he probably thinks what would happen if he was in “victim’s” shoes, so he would return the wallet or he would bring it to the police. Another alternative thought has to do with the category of people who are used to committing crimes or they are homeless or they simply don’t care about the other. In any case, I consider that nobody wants to keep something which they didn't have before and he found it in random, let alone this is really essential for someone else. It is moral to return it and a chance to feel better, because in this way it is like you help somebody. I feel that even the homeless would think in the same way, because they wouldn’t be saved with a temporary solution! So, all my thoughts end up to my initial point; I would return the wallet in any case, without exception and independent of the money. This gesture makes us feel better, but the opposite hasn’t any positive aspect for ourselves!
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If I found a wallet down the street I will see first if inside was an ID or a photo of him/her. If there was I will see if I know this person and if I don't know this person I will return the wallet to the police.Now if it had $20,$200 or even $2000 it will not change my decision.I will return it to the police. But you never know maybe the owner will give me some money if I return it to him. But even if he doesn't give me money it won't change anything for me because I would have helped someone.
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Personally, I will return the wallet without hesitation for many reason. The first and most important reason is that you didn't know about this money or valuable object. Maybe this person have work hard to have it or someone in his/her family is sick and want it for medicine or whatever. That this money belong to someone and it isn't yours. If you take it this is to steal. The second reason is that if I keep it I will be stressed if someone see me or if the person whose wallet was down find you. For me it is most the culpability of keep it that will be big that I won't feel well. So it's a no. Definitely not
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Οf course not! I would take it to the police no matter how much money he had in his wallet.
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it’s very important to imagine yourself in this situation. Imagine you were the one with the lost wallet. Your ID card, your social security card, your insurance card, debit and credit, and some money you were really counting on to put some food in your stomach. Imagine you happened to lose it. That’s needing to get new cards entirely, and going hungry for that day. Thats ehy you should always return a wallet. You don’t know who’s it is, and what is very essential in there.
@nicole I agree with you when you put yourself in someone else shoes or imagine yourself in the situation it totally changes the perspective. You never know the situation of people at home.
As a society there seem to be two mentalities, one being the obvious “Of course, it’s not my money, I didn’t work for it, and I need to find the respected owner”. The other half being “Take the money and run” or “Finders keepers”. I could only imagine that half has never experienced the pain and anguish of losing something valuable, something personal. For many, a wallet contains credit/debit cards, IDs, cash, and more often than not, pictures. An individual’s wallet is a form of identity, a piece of someone’s livelihood, and without it, they can feel empty. Of course they can get another card, ID, driver’s license, etc, but the act of returning it provides less hassle then the owner having to get everything back. The cash is temporary, but the lasting impression of being generous and gracious for others is permanent. Who knows, your wallet could be lost next, are you going to hope someone believes in “Finders keepers” or the former?
If I ever found a wallet on the ground, I would return it without hesitation. Wallets hold lots of extremely personal information, and often times losing the contents within would make any wallet owner extremely worried. To me, it matters not whether this owner has two quarters in their wallet or $20,000 in cash— I would seek to find this person immediately. There is hard work put into making money, and I would never in a million years dream of taking someone’s property and profit in an act of selfishness. It’s also extremely important to be empathic and imagine how nervous you would feel if you lost your wallet and how grateful you would be meeting someone who graciously returned your missing property!
If I come across a wallet no matter the money amount in it I would always try to return it to the owner. I have experienced this myself and have lost my wallet. But when a couple teenage boys found it and brought to my house really proved to me the generosity of this world. This may be the case in my situation but I know that this doesn’t happen all the time. There isn’t always a clear reason for why they do not return the wallet but one can assume that it is because they them self are having financial problems. The idea that they do not see is what if the in the wallet a lot or a little could really impact a struggling family. If faced with finding a lost wallet there are many thoughts about what to do with it such as the benefits and negatives of returning it or keeping it. Personally, I believe that based on the environment and area that you live in can cause a major role in if the wallet get returned. My reasoning for this is based on the wealth of the neighborhood and the type of people that inhabit that area as I believe there would be less desire for a wallet with a bit of cash in it for this scenario.
As the kind person I am, I would want to return the wallet that someone dropped or lost, it’s the right thing to do. But many people say this when they haven’t exactly experienced it. To go into detail, let’s set up an example, let’s say someone who is homeless finds a wallet with lots of money in it and it has no belongings to anyone, it’s all money. He could take it, it doesn’t seem to belong to anyone, or he could leave it there, because he knows it belongs to someone if it had that much money. Nobody knows what the homeless man will do since we can’t see it or have experienced it, it’s what we believe what’s right. If something was to occur like this, a wallet with a lot of money just on the ground, what goes through your head in that moment is a lot of questions. Who’s is it? Why is it there? Should I see what’s inside? Everyone has that curiosity, and anybody can use that curiosity to there benefit. It’s all in the moment, what you question is what will make you want to take it, or not. Do I need the money? Do I want to be a bad person? It’s all questions that get answered by your actions. It’s all in the moment that can’t be decided by saying you won’t do that. So personally, I would want to return it, but I can’t necessarily say that with 100% guarantee.
The amount of money in the wallet should never be the reason for why you did or did not return the lost item. I personally would feel guilt for taking someone elses hard earned money. No one besides the person who lost their wallet know what they're going through, we dont know how financially stable the person is or if they were going to use the money for food, clothes, or even rent. If there is identification in the wallet we as human beings should try our best to help this stranger, in times like now with a pandemic going on many people live check by check, penny by penny, helping someone out during this time could save a life. Even if the wallet does not have any money it could still have important valuables of the person such as identification, credit cards, photos of family, or anything relativly important to them.
If I were to find a wallet, whether it has no money or a lot of money, I would return it. I would feel guilty knowing that I could make that person's life so much easier if I gave it back because then they don't have to get a new idea, credit card(if they have one), and even items that are only worth anything to them(like a photograph of a loved one. I could never use the item because it would always weigh on my mind about how that person could have needed that money. What if they needed it to buy food for their family? Or buy a birthday gift for their loved one. I'll always be thinking about the what-ifs. I've lost a wallet before which had a little less than $100 and it never was returned to me. That's one of the reasons I would never take someone's wallet, I know what it feels like and it doesn't feel good.
If I was to find a missing wallet then I would return it. In life we should be nice to others for example from returning a wallet that's nice of you. Also you wouldn't like it if someone would find your wallet and they end up keeping it. I wouldn't keep the money because that called stealing from someone and I would never do that. we can return the wallet from checking if someone had dropped it.
If I were to find a missing wallet I would return it back even if it had money inside because if I were to lose my wallet I would feel horrible. So if the person who lost their wallet were to feel the same as I would than I would immediately return it. Also I would feel ashamed because I would never “steal” from someone.
If I found a wallet I would immediately see if the person who dropped it is around, or give it to the police, or authorities. I'm actually not that surprised, by the study, because if you think about it, and the wallet has money in it, what if that money was that persons' last amount of money? Or it was to go toward food, or to keep a roof over their head? Or what? I think this shows how many people either experienced this, wallets lost/stolen, or in a similar situation, where that was their money for food or shelter. No, I haven't lost my wallet or such, but I have lost somethings, and never got back.
Naturally, it is kind of foreseen that humans are more prone to return a wallet that has cash in it equating to an empty wallet or one that has minimal quantities. no one is going to repugn against it. People feel that it is a responsibility that they partake into because if they were in that circumstance, they want whoever finds it to return it with the same gratitude. I would return a wallet no matter what it contained, one reason is I have mislaid my wallet before and lost many things alongside it, which did not get returned, and I don't want others to feel that attrist of the counterweight on them.
Of course, returning the wallet would be the right thing to do, that would be obvious to anyone from the start. I think It depends a lot on what's in the wallet. If it has a lot of money in it I think a lot of people would actually be more obligated to return the wallet knowing that the person would miss it more. if it only has 5 or 6 dollars in it the person will not care as much when they lose it. With a small amount of money in the wallet, I might not try as hard to return the wallet.
If I lost my wallet I would defiantly want it to be returned as would anybody because a wallet carries a bunch of stuff that people really need such as your ID, your drivers license, and your credit card not just cash its always the right things to do to return a wallet if you found one on the ground.
You have to put yourself in the shoes of another person. If you lost your wallet you would want it back. I assume it is the same for the person who lost there wallet. I know I would because I know it is the right thing to do. But sadly there are people in this world who would not.
To the question "would i return a lost wallet i've found?" Well yeah i would if im able to, contact the person or i would take it to the police station. Even if it has or has no money in it, it doesnt belong to me but to the person that lost it. So what would be correct is give the wallet back to the owner.
If I had lost my wallet, I would hope that somebody would try and return it. So if I found somebody's wallet I would do what I would want somebody who found my wallet to do, return it. I think that it would be a little different if someone just lost a $20 bill, but a whole wallet with an ID, money, and everything, that is stealing.
A wallet is a really big part of peoples lives, it carries driver licences, ID, credit cards and money. For some people it would be terrible to lose there wallet because once you lose your wallet you would have to pay for a new ID and other stuff that you lost, and if all your money was in your wallet, how are you going to pay for those things. Also, some people may really need their money that was in their wallet, what if somebody had cancer and lost there wallet and they could not pay for treatment?
If i found a lost wallet i would in fact turn it in because its not fair to people who drop or lose their wallet on accident and they could have the last of their money in their or all their information about them that they would need to identify them selves in case of an emergency or just for everyday lives. This is why its important to return stuff that doesn't belong to us.
I would in fact return the lost wallet because its not fair to the people who lost their wallet on accident to lose all their money that could've been the last of it and lose their only way of identification because of an accident. Its the right thing to do and you shouldn't steal some one's lost personal belongings'.
I feel that the majority of people would return lost wallets(I definitely would). Parents and their kids as parents should teach children more about good morals and not stealing. But Nobody expects every person to learn that kind of thing, maybe they were raised in a household that was not very great, or maybe they are troubled people or kids, or maybe they were simply in need of money.
I would definitely return the lost wallet no matter if it had i.d in it or not. You never know what someone was using the money for so returning it to the police is the best choice. Keeping a lost wallet with i.d in it is basically stealing since you know who owns it.
Personally I have never found a wallet, but have witnessed my mom returning one. My mom used this as a teachable moment, for me to learn the ethical actions needed to become an upstanding citizen. After reading the article my judgment on my mother’s decision hasn’t wavered.
I haven’t lost anything valuable before but would feel relieved and grateful if someone returned my lost item.
The more money involved in each experiment affected whether it was returned or not didn’t shock me. It shows people would rather avoid associating themselves with thieves. As a whole humanity can be kind and caring sometimes, but I have my doubts about how honest everyone acted.
I agree since bringing morality into the equation helps someone become more honest.
Thinking through each option ethically helps make my mind up since I rather feel better about my decisions by justifying it with ethics. Keeping a mindset of treating others how you’d want to be treated has kept me grounded in life. You should always consider helping others since you don’t know when you might need them.
Would I return a lost wallet. Well, it depends. The household that I raised in was very strict, so yes, I would return the wallet. However, if there is no identification inside to find the owner, I would keep the wallet. Some people would keep the wallet no matter what, but that's not how I was raised. In conclusion, there are factors to decide whether or not I would keep the wallet.
@Draki B. I agree, returning the wallet with identification would be the right thing to do. Your parents did a great job raising you to become such a respectable young man.
If I found a lost wallet with money and the id includes, I would most definitely return it. Keeping a lost wallet when you could return it to the rightful owner is considered stealing. You have the opportunity to be a good person and return it and you chose not to. I don’t think I have ever found a lost wallet but if I did, it was probably a friend’s which I returned knowing it was theirs. Regardless of the amount of money inside a wallet, you never know the story of another person. They could have worked from the bottom to the top, earning all that money just for someone else to steal it or they could have lost a huge amount with only a couple dollars left and they wouldn’t have it anymore. If I were to take it and not return it, it would leave a huge amount of guilt in my conscience. I remembered about 2-3 years ago, I was walking with a group of friends and I accidentally dropped my phone and I didn’t hear it drop or felt it drop because of the rain. Luckily the person who found it dropped off to a nearby church and I was able to get it back. The first thing I did was give her a hug and thanked her. She could have taken it but she didn’t. I’m extremely grateful for her. If it wasn’t for her, I could’ve gotten in so much trouble by my parents. I believe in karma and the guilty conscience that can have a huge effect if you did take someone else’s belongings when you had the opportunity to return it.
My mom raised me a good child so if I saw a wallet money or no money in it I would automatically return it. No matter what I found on the floor if it someones and it was valuable I am returning it. Some people think otherwise they think if they find a lost wallet it's theirs but its really stealing. To them its finders keepers losers weepers. Even if I was to take something I would feel really bad but that's just the type of person I am all people are different.
Well I was raised pretty strictly so if I found a wallet it wouldn't really matter how much money was in it. The factors that would influence my decision is since I was raised also as a christian I wouldn't want to deal with the guilt my whole life if I stole money.
Keeping a lost wallet in my opinion is still stealing. Even if there's no money. Only depending if the wallet was pad for. If it was a gift
it would be stealing.
I would not keep the wallet even if it had money in it, If i lose my wallet I would want someone to return it to me so I would do the same. If the wallet had an address on it and I was close by I would just drop it off, if not I would give it to the police. But at the same time I don't know what the police officer might do, he might keep it for himself instead of turning it in.
If their is a I.D card and a bank card i will try to give back the wallet to police. But i keep the money and i think it's normal.
Under no circumstances will I ever keep the wallet. It is not mine and people make mistakes. Losing $20 is a lot for some people and it is selfish to think you are entitled to that money because someone else made a mistake.
I thing I will return the wallet but it will depend on the money because if it will be $20000 than I will take the money but I won't do it because that person should need that money so I will give it back. I hope everyone do like that.
I thing I will return the wallet but it will depend on the money because if it will be $20000 than I will take the money but I won't do it because that person should need that money so I will give it back. I hope everyone do like that.
I thing I will return the wallet but it will depend on the money because if it will be $20000 than I will take the money but I won't do it because that person should need that money so I will give it back. I hope everyone do like that.
I would definitely return the wallet in either ways. The peer pressure would be the main factor. Few hours later mostly every single human will feel like they robbed a human being. In my opinion keeping a wallet is semi robbing because it is basically not yours..
I would definitely return the wallet, and it doesn't matter how much money is in there! I would feel guilty. Imagine if you lost your wallet within your ID and 2000$, and nobody returns it, you would be very upset. I think it's stealing if you don't return it. I would love to get a reward, but it's not the point for me.
What do you think?
Would you return the wallet?
I would probably keep the wallet, because it is not stealing, of course if it has the ID I would return it. But if there are no identification cards then I could not return it. If I would give it to the police they would keep it. Olso if I saw the person dropping the wallet I would run after him. But if not then I won't even feel disappointed
Would You Return a Lost Wallet? (What if It Had Lots of Money in It?)
Yes, I would return a lost wallet. Mainly because I know what it feels like to loose something that's very important to you but you never find it. So answering the question yes I would because I wouldn't want an inossant person to have a bad week because of me taking it away.
Would You Return a Lost Wallet? (What if It Had Lots of Money in It?)
Yes, I would return a lost wallet. Mainly because I know what it feels like to loose something that's very important to you but you never find it. So answering the question yes I would because I wouldn't want an inossant person to have a bad week because of me taking it away.
I think the right thing would be to return it but it depends how mutch money is in it. I would return it if there's an ID in the valet but if there's just money I would probably just keep it or just take a few dollars from it. If there would be an ID in it and I wouldn't return it than I would feel bad abaut it. But if I would return I soul feel like a good person.
Would I return a wallet which has bounch of money in it......?
I would not. I would keep it if it was full of money because the other people would be more careful of money if she/he wouldn't have a lot of money.
@Donat
Sometimes, people are extra careful, but they still break their phone, or hurt their best friend's feelings. In this case, maybe someone dropped their wallet. It may be tempting, but taking money or a wallet is stealing. Think deeper. Maybe they saved up for years and were on their way to buy something special. Maybe it was for their house or apartment bills. Maybe they had just gotten their driver's license and they were super excited to show their family. Maybe the money was for a cancer treatment for someone dear to them who is sick.
How do you think they'll feel when they get to the store and can't buy what they wanted to? How do you think they will feel when their driver's license is gone and they can't pay their bills either? How do you think they feel watching their loved one die knowing they can't afford the treatment anymore because their money is in someone else's pocket? By stealing the money, you would not know what it was for and could have screwed something up really. really badly.
Would You Return a Lost Wallet? (What if It Had Lots of Money in It?)
Yes, I would return a lost wallet to the proper authorities due to the difficulty of replacing identification in the United States. If the wallet had money of any value or denomination, I would take it from the wallet before I hand it in. Think of it like this; if you realized that you lost your wallet you would automatically prepare for the repercussions of this, therefore the loss of money would be less of a concern. Also, losing your money and your wallet would make you value it even more, teaching you a valuable lesson.
If I saw someone drop their wallet I would 100% turn in back into them no matter how much money is in there. I feel like its just the right thing to do
Another point to consider is whether people would be more inclined to return a wallet if there is an ID present in the wallet versus no ID. I can imagine the psychological effects of stealing would be greater if you could put a face to the person’s money you are taking. I personally have returned a wallet before. I was at work and a customer had left their sunglasses case by my register. I opened it up, hoping for a name, but I found a giant chunk of change instead. I thankfully was able to find the woman who it belonged to, and she was so unbelievably thankful that she gave me a $20 reward! I never thought of keeping it or receiving a reward. I just knew that it was the right thing to do and I would have hoped someone would have done the same if I were in that situation.
No, I wouldn't return the money because I probably wouldn't know who dropped it and I wouldn't know who to return it to, so I would just keep it. If there was credit cards and stuff like that, then I would just take the money.
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@Jimena What if there was an ID in the wallet and it had Identification on whos the wallet is, would you still return it
yes i would return a lost wallet. I would return it because i would feel guilty if i take it or feel bad. A factor that influenced my decision was even though my mom is struggling and i need the money i would not take it because the person that drooped the wallet probably has it either the same or worse. To me taking a lost wallet isn't exactly stealing but still feels like stealing.😁
yes i would give it back but i would keep some of the money like a finders fee.
I would return the wallet but with half of the money because i should get a tip for finding it and giving it back.
- Yes , because what if that person needed that money , plus its not yours .
- What if the person needs the money ?
- Yes because its not mine .
I would return her/his wallet because it is not right to steal someone else's wallet, even if it had like $200 or $2,000 of money.
I will return a lost wallet because the person might need the money. The person who lost it worked hard for the money.
I would return the wallet no matter how much money was in there because it is not mine and i would feel sad if someone stole my wallet, and the guilt would kill me if i took someones wallet
yes i would i would return a lost wallet because it would make me guilty i think people would judge if they found out and yes keeping a lost wallet is stealing whatever is not yours or is someone elses belongings please dont take it
If I found a lost wallet with a lot of money on it, I would return it because probably the person who lost it worked so hard to get the money, or somebody give it to them, or maybe they just need it to buy important things like food, or to pay the rent or the bills or something like that, besides I would feel guilty if I kept it, so I would return the wallet with all the money and everything on it.
If I found a lost wallet on the ground with money in it, I would return the wallet because I would feel really guilty if I kept it. I couldn't imagine losing my wallet with all the money I worked really hard for. I would never want to put anybody through that stress of losing something you worked hard for. In my opinion I personally think keeping a lost wallet is another form of stealing, because it was never yours in the first place.
I personally never found a lost wallet but I have lost my wallet before and it is so nerve-racking. Luckily someone found my wallet and did the right thing to do and returned it to me. I was so relieved and grateful that we still have people on this earth that are selfless enough to do the right thing. I was not surprised that in the article people are more likely to return a wallet with alot of money in it.
If I found a lost wallet on the ground with money in it, I would return the wallet because I would feel really guilty if I kept it. I couldn't imagine losing my wallet with all the money I worked really hard for. I would never want to put anybody through that stress of losing something you worked hard for. In my opinion I personally think keeping a lost wallet is another form of stealing, because it was never yours in the first place.
I personally never found a lost wallet but I have lost my wallet before and it is so nerve-racking. Luckily someone found my wallet and did the right thing to do and returned it to me. I was so relieved and grateful that we still have people on this earth that are selfless enough to do the right thing. I was not surprised that in the article people are more likely to return a wallet with a lot of money in it.
if i found a lost wallet i would try to find the owner by looking up their name in Facebook. I would get their name from the debit or credit cards. Hopefully, at least on card says their name so, i can return it to them.I wouldn't take the money. Its not mine and i didn't earn it.
if it had 1000 dollars i would try to find the owner and if i cant then ill keep it but ill search google for the owner.
If i found a lost wallet i would give i back to them even if it had a lot of money because they would have been saving for something important or been saving something special for someone,and if they lost it and that someone didn't give it back they wont be able to give to them.
@Jarelly I totally agree with you about returning the wallet even if it had a lot of money in it. It doesn't belong to us and it would be wrong of us to steal something that someone worked so hard to get. You had an amazing point when you said “What if they are saving for someone important?” I think you're totally right, what if that money was a gift for someone and they want it back? In conclusion you have an excellent point and I support your opinion.
I would return the wallet either it had money or none at all because I would be in fear of it being an episode for "what would you do" but ignoring of it being nothing but a social project I would think of the owner of the wallet lets say it had 2,000 dollars in there maybe the person who dropped needs it more than I do and what if I happened to drop it instead I would want someone to return it.
@Reana Pena You are a good person
I have never found a wallet, and if i had i would've returned it to the owner. I wouldn't be tempted to keep it because if they had money in it then they would want it back, The consideration of the other person changed my decision because if they had important things in it they would be looking for it, and to waste peoples time knowing you have what they want is wrong. After reading this article i would not change my mind because its wrong to steal or keep things that are not yours.
I think we should all return the wallets or other things like bags, phones with everything in it or what it contains because you do not know how much work to get it and the person who lost it maybe would donate to the people who occupy it.
i would pick up the wallet and first have a look around to see if anyone is nearby to claim it
I would return a wallet even if it had lots of money because they might or might not give you some and if it had lots of money and my family was struggling to be honest i would take it and help my family but only if the owner is too far away to talk to.
Personally, I would return lost wallet in fear that i was on the show “What would you do?”. All jokes aside, I would return a wallet no matter how much money was inside. If I had lost my wallet, I would hope that someone would find and return it to me. You never know what financial state the person who lost their wallet is in. Furthermore, it’s such a hassle to have to cancel and get all your cards replaced. What use is it for me to have some random persons license?
Not too many people would admit they would take the wallet. Even with this in mind, I wouldn’t doubt that most people would actually end up returning the wallet instead of taking it. I would try to return the wallet because I would hope that’s what someone else would do for me had the roles been reversed. Of course, this is all under the assumption that other people, especially in today’s world, act with the slightest shred of decency. I have a legitimate fear of losing my wallet which makes me want to check my pockets every five minutes to double-check. This may seem a little ridiculous, but I know my chances of seeing that wallet again are slim if I lose it.
The data clearly showed that most people would return the lost wallet, and I’m not surprised by this. I don’t think people do it because of their high moral standards or anything like that, but rather the fear of getting caught. It’s like leaving the door to a bank vault wide open: how many people would actually go inside and rob the place? The answer is probably not too many, even when we have raised the stakes from a wallet to now a bank. This is fundamentally how law works; you can commit any crime you want, but there may be repercussions, deterring most people from doing so. I would be more interested to see how many simply left the wallet alone, as there seems to be a complete lack of accountability in our society today.
Yes, I would try my best to try and return a lost wallet. If I saw a wallet laying on the street or sidewalk I would pick it up and check for an ID or a picture or a phone number. And if those were there I would contact that person and meet up and give it to them. But if there wasn't then I would ask the people around me and if someone claims it then I'd give it to them...That's what everyone wants to hear. That's what everyone is taught to do. But in reality is that what people will do? We are taught to return what's not ours but do people really follow that rule when it comes to money? In my opinion no i don't think people will follow that rule because maybe the person who found it and keeps it is desperate and really needs it. But, the person who lost it would be worrying because they had just lost their whole wallet with their ID and everything. So I think it would be wrong on anyone's part to steal a wallet even if it doesn't have an identification.
“The Angel on my Shoulder.”
Even though I’ve never been faced with this decision I know exactly what I would do. Depending on where the wallet was found I’d first look through it and try and find either a business card or license the person may have kept inside. Then either read the address or number and called them to tell them that I have their wallet in my possession. If I found it inside like a store or restaurant I would turn it into the hostess or the manager for them to take care of.
But why would I do this? The best I can relate it to is the cartoonish reference where you have an angel and devil on their shoulder and are arguing to figure out what you should do. Either I’m like my girlfriend and have selective hearing or I was blessed with the ability to be a good person and put myself in the other person's shoes. How would I feel if I had lost my wallet and someone didn't have the decency to return it to me? All I know is that you never know what someone is going through or the situation they have going on in their life, like who knows they may be having a bad day and someone returning something not most people would might just make their day a little bit brighter.
If you ask every single person what they would do when presented this question they will obviously say that they would return it. There is not going to be one person who will say otherwise in these comments. However, if this actually happened to everyone, we all would like to think that we would do the right thing, but in truth not everyone would.
I would like to believe that I would definitely return the wallet. I think everyone has a moral obligation to return the wallet to the right person because we don't know what kind of situation that person might be in. That person might need the money more than we know, and the guilt of that will dissuade most people. This is why when the price is increased, the probability for returning it does as well. We all have been instilled with regret, guilt, and knowing the difference between right and wrong. The more money that is put in the wallet, the worse someone will feel if they took it.
I have been taught to do the right thing my whole life, along with every single other person. Like every single other person, we all know the difference between right and wrong as well. This question and test isn't as much a test if someone was raised right or have good morals, but a test of what will take to make a person abandon what they know to be right. This test of integrity, had some surprising results, but showed the human nature of the "theifs" and what it took to make a ordinary person, do a bad thing.
Throughout my life I have lived by certain ethics taught by my parents which includes to never take shortcuts in life and to always work hard for your goals. From this lesson my choice would be to return the wallet as soon as possible. Some trusted sources I would suggest to return a lost wallet to is a local police department or some management depending on if the person lost it in a facility. Overall, I can imagine how stressful the situation can be towards the person as all their hard earned valuables are out of their possession and lost to people who can make bad intentions in the situation. Those who take wallets are wrong and should notice how much stress they create through wrong doings.
Since I am a teen now seeing a lot of wallets being lost and many people taking the wallet rather then returning it or maybe someone would find it but take the money and then return it. If that was me in that situation then I wouldn't know what to do if I found a lot of money in it but why not be a good person and see if it has an ID and no even touch the money. I feel like all people should do that when they find a lost wallet with money in it because its the right thing to do. But having extra money isn't bad, for that's what some people think when they find a wallet with a lot of money because maybe they want to buy something they've been wanting. Returning the wallet is probably the best thing because the person who lost the wallet could be very upset and scared and sad because they lost their wallet.
To be honest, when I was a kid, I would have been overjoyed to find a little extra money laying on the ground. But now, I can’t say the same. Throughout my teens, I’ve started to realize the impact words and actions have on others, which isn’t something you always consider as a kid(I don’t mean to say I’m not still a kid at heart which I am, but I’ve matured a little bit). Humans are, in my opinion, inherently good at heart. The majority of us will do something nice for someone, even if it means going a little out of our way. That’s why I think the so-called, “Golden Rule”, is pushed so heavily onto children as they are growing up. Every person wants to be supported, held, and loved, cherished and complemented, and we realize this can only be achieved if everyone gives up some of their time and themselves to help others. Those surveyed most likely felt that they would want their wallet returned if a stranger picked it up, and see the value in a large amount of cash, not to themselves, but to the rightful owner. I honestly find more joy in giving gifts than receiving them. Because humans can relate to each other in experiences, we can empathize with strangers, feel their emotions, and choose to help, even if we do not benefit.
Reading this article I was not as surprised with the results as many other readers were. In my own opinion I feel as if there are more moral and ethical people rather than ones who would chose to take the wallet for their own desires. Don’t get me wrong, yes there are people who would one hundred percent take the money especially if they are in financial need. However in today’s society I’ve ran into more and more people who have an understanding of working hard and what someone has to go through to make an earning. The greatest factor coming into play when people are faced with a wallet full of money is that they can relate to the other persons loss and have a feeling of empathy. Only making assumptions like, what if they worked hours on end to make this money in order to support their family? Or wow they must be wealthy to be carrying around a couple hundred dollars in cash. Either way I personally would return the wallet. The money inside is a representation of someone’s hard work and taking it would not only give off a feeling of guilt but also disrespect.
Taking a lost wallet is a very bad taste and to be honest wouldn’t take the chance of getting the contents of the wallet, for it may be in significance to the person who is finding their belongings. Even if the contents is intriguing, there would be no other choice than to return the item back to its rightful owner which grants us the satisfaction of helping those I need. It does feel like your stealing the wallet if someone lost it, and thinking in the other persons shoes, they would look for days in order to find their contents. Also the fact that religion may be part of it, we can feel the selfish regret when taking the lost wallet.
After reading this article I was not only surprised, but actually quite impressed with how many people would actually RETURN the lost wallet if there were a larger quantity of money rather than keep the wallet/money for themselves. I believe that for anyone it would be a bit hard to decide on the right thing to do, return the wallet and be a Good Samaritan? Or keep it for yourself and stay quiet? I can’t speak for others but I know for myself I am very anxious and I second guess myself quite a bit, not to mention that I sometimes have to deal with a small voice in the back of my head called greed, or temptation. Both of which try to persuade me into things that I probably shouldn’t do, especially when there is money involved. Who doesn’t like to see green in their pockets? But at what lengths would you go to get it?
@Noel Fox The point you make about being a Good Samaritan is valuable because many people think that in a situation that they would do the most ethical choice. However, when situations such as those occur, people tend to do what is best for them, which majority of the time is not necessarily correct or right. And like many of us, you say that you wish to do the right thing, but we all have our conscience in which we want to take the benefits all to ourselves. That is just the human instinct where we need to do what we need to do in order survive but we begin to question our decisions when other are involved.
If I found a wallet I would try my best to return it, no matter who it was or what was inside, but that’s not to say that whatever is inside might influence the effort I’m willing to put into returning this wallet. If I were to find a wallet with very little money, no credit cards, maybe a gift card, I would feel a smaller sense of urgency in returning it to the owner. I would not care about the money inside for myself, but rather for the person who owns the wallet. A person who loses a wallet with thousands of dollars will feel more stressed than someone who loses just a few dollars. I can relate to this when I lost my wallet when I was kid, obviously it only had like 10 dollars in it so I wasn’t too stressed, but still, relative to me it was a lot of money. So to counter the point I made, the wallet that I may find that contains little money could be a lot relative to the person who owns it. So overall, we should stop looking at the money inside the wallet and solely at the person who owns, and treat every wallet the same.
@John M I agree with your stalemate in returning the wallet to the owner due to how I was raised. I also put myself in their shoes and think about how it feels to lose something and I would want someone to return my belongings to me so I would do the same. I do not think the amount of money located in the wallet plays a factor because it is still someone else's belongings.
@John M I agree with what you are saying about how you should return the wallet to the owner no matter how much money is inside. If I were to lose my wallet I would be devastated and worried about it until I found it, which in most cases people don't. That's why we need to have good morals to just return the wallet.
While at work I have many times found lost wallets. I think about my position and what I would want. Of course I considered keeping it, but it just isn’t fair. Also most of the times they try calling or come looking for it. I once called a man back to let him know I had his wallet and as a result I he was very grateful and gave me about $50 as a gift. Much appreciated and maybe not as much as in there but it’s more of a win win for both. It was a mutual gratification.
this is an interesting ethical question. if i found a wallet on the street i would definitely try and return it because you don’t know that financial position this person is in, what they need that money for, etc. personally, i have lost my purse at a arcade and a really nice couple found it and rather than stealing they saw me looking for it and gave it back.
If I found a lost wallet, I would return it. Wallets don’t just have money, which is replaceable, but they also have someone’s license, ID, etc. There’s no way I would take anything out of the wallet, I would just open it to see if there was an ID and see if i could find the owner anywhere. Maybe a phone number or an address? Imagine how you would feel if you lost your wallet and you went to look for it but never found it and nobody contacted you or anything. You’d be very upset. I do think that keeping a lost wallet is stealing. You could easily give it to an officer, an employee at a store/ restaurant, or find a way to return it. I have never found a wallet before but I have found a license. I found it outside of a Harris Teeter with some of my friends so we went inside and gave it to an employee. I definitely made the right decision, giving the license to an employee is the best thing to do.
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This is an interesting concept because most people would not turn in the wallet. One thing that would prompt me to turning in the wallet is if I knew the wallet was lost and had an easy solution to return it I would have more incentive to do so. Although if the wallet had money in it, it would make it harder for me to turn in. Especially if I didn't know who this person was.
It would return a lost wallet if I happened to come across one, it is only right. I couldn’t imagine the stress that the person who lost that wallet would be under. Most wallets contain things such as money, credit cards, debit cards, and ids, making it extremely stressful when we lose our wallets. That being said, I think that it is important to put yourself in their shoes and acknowledge the stress that losing a wallet carries. I know that if I lost my own wallet I would hope that it would be returned, especially considering it has all my personal things inside of it. So, if I happened to find a wallet, regardless of the amount of money inside, I would definitely make a personal effort to return it.
I am an overthinker and always stress myself out when I mess up or even forget something. My anxiety is even worse when I lose something of value or a random pencil from my binder. I can't imagine losing something like my wallet especially because it includes my cash, card, Id, and the memory of the wallet itself. That's why I always have the intention fo returning the item.
Before you think to yourself, "she's just saying that she'd probably ignore it", I would like to say that some things appear to hold value and I'd be more inclined to return a wallet than a random shoe on the subway. I know that somebody could hold that white Chuck Taylor close to their heart but they don't need a shoe to pay for a bus fare or buy their families groceries.
As I read the article it made me reflect on my psychology class that I took last spring where I learned that people are more likely to do something for a reward. This theory explains why seventy-six percent of people went to return the wallet. I'm not saying that we all except a reward but the larger amount of money subconsciously associates the stuffed wallet with a wealthy person. It also isn't very uncommon for people to give a reward or portion of the money for the finder of the wallet but it's nice to think the owner will.
After these comments and this article, I hope that when or if you find a wallet or even an ID that you return it or try hard to.
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@Chloe Scatton-Tessier Wow. Beautifully stated. I relate to you so much. I also get anxiety about losing ANYTHING, even something as small as a pencil. It just stresses me out. I could never imagine losing a wallet. I would also return it, it would be horrible to not. The wallet belongs to somebody and you never know what could be inside that may have value to them. Again, I love how you worded this.
@Chloe Scatton-Tessier Nice, losing something very important in any given time does give amount of stress to the human being and to be honest, everyone around there and here would feel that kind of stress. With this comment and others who read this comment, there would be more consideration into returning the lost wallet, which can relieve the anxiety of the other person who lost the item. It also gives a bad taste when taking a lost wallet.
I personally have lost my wallet twice. The first time I ever lost it I dropped it on the way into my local library and when I realized what happened minutes later I ran outside to see that there was no wallet in sight. Because I was at the age of my life when this wallet was lost where wallets are mostly just used for the occasional bill or two you get from Christmas or birthdays, It didn't have any valuable information in it like a credit card or license so it didn’t have a lot of value.
However, now a petty crime like keeping a wallet can cause massive consequences. If you were to keep a wallet it may contain someone's work ID or their rent money or credit card. These being gone can lead to real financial trouble for the past owner of the wallet. Their lack of ID could get them fired from a job, No rent means eviction. Eviction means nowhere to live. And nowhere to live means homelessness. Furthermore, if they wanted to apply for a new credit card after losing the first one while in a homeless state that makes it all the more challenging. All this to say, even somewhat small crimes like stealing a bike or wallet can have profound impacts on the victims of these crimes that sometimes last a lifetime.
If I ever found a wallet on the ground I would return it regardless of whether there is money or not. There are many factors that influence my choice. I would never take the money because I would be overcome by the feeling of guilt because you deprived someone of their own belongings. I think the biggest force that drives me to return the wallet is the heart-dropping feeling when you lose something of value. The best way to describe this feeling is when your stomach drops on a rollercoaster. Because wallets contain an abundance of personal information, if you lose it, it's like misplacing your whole life and amplifies the amount of stress on a daily basis. I think the easiest way for people to comprehend the importance of returning a lost wallet, they have to put themselves in the same situation. If you were the one that lost the wallet you would hope that someone will return it instead of pocketing the money?
Such a little thing like finding one's wallet, can end up being such a big deal. My conscience wouldn't allow it. I know what it's like to be on the other end of the situation. A few weeks ago I was running errands all over town. One stop to the next and I left a few empty handed. I went to get lunch after a while and I checked my wallet to see that my card and all my cash was gone. I panicked, what was I going to tell my parents. If somebody had gotten a hold of my card there was no telling what they would buy. It would be easy to call my parents to go ahead and cut off the card, but I was too scared to face them. A few days later, my friend finally called me saying that my card and money were on the floor of her car. I was relieved to hear that, but I knew I should've done something sooner.
That panic of having lost something consumed me for those few days. My parents pay for many things for me and losing their hard earned money was a huge stress. I know the value of a hard earned dollar and taking others money for any reason is unjustified. The article explained how some countries in the world handled those situations differently by keeping the money they found. I do believe where you grow up shapes your morals and becomes a determining factor in situations like this, it's simply how you're raised. But do the right thing, return the money because it's not yours to keep.
If I came across a wallet, I would do whatever necessary to return it. To me, it wouldn’t matter if there was money in it or not, only if there was some sort of identification so that I could return it to its rightful owner. Many people would find a lost wallet on the street and take whatever was in it without a second thought, but I believe that it’s important to help people out, even if they are strangers. One cannot truly know the personal value of the money in the wallet - it could very well contain someone’s last few dollars. Nowadays, wallets are a very significant part of our lives. They hold a portion, whether small or large, of our monetary rewards, and represent our struggle to earn it. Taking someone’s wallet is not only morally wrong and unjust, but a bad lesson on the true value of money. Many people spend long hours working shift after shift to make money, and losing their cash-filled wallet only for it to be stolen, shows that their hard work was repaid with essentially nothing.
If I lost my wallet, whether I had money in there at the time or not, I would want someone to try as hard as they could to return it to me. While I haven’t lost or left my wallet behind anywhere yet, I have seen it happen to my friends and how upsetting it can be for them to lose a seemingly insignificant amount of money. Because of this, I try not to carry around cash anymore because I don’t want to leave my money in the hands of strangers that would have no problem stealing from me.
"You will never understand the damage you did to someone until the same thing is done to you" - a random quote by "Karma" I found on Google, but that's besides the point! This quote clearly portrays the idea that you should treat those around you with the behavior you would like to receive in return. Personally, I have never come across this situation to test my morals. However, I truly believe that I would return a wallet if found. If not, a feeling of constant guilt would emerge that I would not be able to stand. I am certain of the action I would take because I myself have been in that state of distress. One evening, I had babysat six hours or so on a night full of coursework and craziness. Late that night, as I walked home, the money I had earned slipped my pocket. When I arrived home, I reached into my pocket to find it wasn't there and immediately entered a stage of panic. I rushed out the door with my phone flashlight on, scanning the sidewalk. A woman walked by and asked me if I was looking for money. I felt instant relief as she gave it to me and cracked the joke - "I thought I just got lucky!" This instance revealed to me how important it is to do the right thing, as it causes such relief when it is done to you. The woman in my situation clearly was happy with her findings but was selfless enough to return it to me as she knew it was something very important to me. In the end, I hope to stick by my word that if I were to come across a lost wallet, I would return it.
If I were to find a wallet, no matter if it had anything in it, my first instinct would be to return it. As a person who regularly misplaces their wallet, I worry what would happen if someone finds it and their intentions with it. When I find a wallet, I place myself in the person's position and know the common feeling of stress surrounded around it. Losing a wallet feels terrible and those who keep them and the contents should feel guilty as they are taking someone’s hard earned valuables without thinking about it. If I had found a wallet with money in it, I would feel terrible if I kept it as they are not my possessions. Frankly, I hope to think that people will do the right thing and return a lost wallet to the rightful owner.
Conscience keeps me on the straight and narrow. When I screw up something that really matters to me it weighs on me for years. There are things that I did years ago that still haunt me to this day. Stealing a wallet? A petty crime. Something that can mess up someone's life for a while. Maybe that money was for rent and now they can't pay rent. They get evicted. They are homeless. They can't wash their clothes. They lose their job for not being sanitary. They become homeless and addicted to drugs on the streets. They end up in and out of jail for ever on meaningless drug charges.
While this is an extreme circumstance, it shows how a "small" crime can screw someone over for a very long time. There is no excuse for stealing a wallet. You find a wallet, you put it in a mailbox. The USPS will return the wallet to the address associated with the ID in the wallet. No excuses. Be a decent person and return it.
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@Yates Kirby
I think that this is an outstanding response to a very needed topic among adolescents today. I know for a fact that many people in our world today would snatch that wallet up in a second if it meant that they would have some extra cash for themselves, without a care in the world as to how it affects the other person. Though I do believe that there are also many people that would do as you described and make the conscious decision to return it and be a Good Samaritan. I think that the way you analyzed this problem, with that ridiculous scenario, really puts this into perspective, and while made up, things like this could happen each and every day.
There is no reason for me not to return a lost wallet. I would want someone to do the same for me if I lost mine. I have never lost my wallet outside of my house and if I get extremely anxious if I lose it in the house I can only imagine what it would be like if I lost it in public. If it were lost and not returned, you would have to get new credit cards and replace everything you had in there which would be very annoying. In fact, you can put a lost wallet in a blue usps mailbox and they will return it to the owner. Returning a lost wallet is just the right thing to do. It’s not yours so you shouldn’t be keeping it.
@Thomas-Shadi
While I completely agree that you should return it. I don't believe a lot of the people replying are being completely honest. Im sure we were all taught good morals, but sometimes the edge takes over. While I also believe I would return the wallet, Im not going to completely take away the thought of taking it. This wouldn't be an instinct to return the wallet. Obviously I would end up retiring it but everyone responding is acting like the thought would never cross their mind and this is just lying.
@Thomas-Shadi
While I completely agree that you should return it. I don't believe a lot of the people replying are being completely honest. Im sure we were all taught good morals, but sometimes the edge takes over. While I also believe I would return the wallet, Im not going to completely take away the thought of taking it. This wouldn't be an instinct to return the wallet. Obviously I would end up retiring it but everyone responding is acting like the thought would never cross their mind and this is just lying.
Finding a wallet is a hard moral test for me. There is the half of me that would like to get a few free dollars and the half of me that asks the question, what someone else found my wallet? I try to put myself in the opposition position to consider what it feels like to have this part of your identity stolen. This perspective tends to come with guilt from the thought of taking it. On the other hand, returning the wallet helps create a society where good deeds like this are the standard.
@Waz I agree and haven't thought of it in the way of being the other guy in the situation. If i lost my wallet I would be devastated. But if someone went out of there way to be a good samaritan and not only take the time to return the wallet, but also to not keep it for themselves I would be so grateful and appreciative.
Personally, if I lost my wallet it would be much appreciated if someone were to return it, whether it has money in it or not. Similarly, if I found a lost wallet on the ground I would not usually pick it up, but then I might feel guilty and think about the possibilities of someone stealing it and not trying to return it to the respected owner. If I happen to pick it up, however, I would probably not open it, and instead give it to the nearest police station so that they can return it to the respective owner. If I did open it and find no money, but an ID instead, I would still give it to the authorities to take care of. Even if there is money -$20 or $2,000- it does not matter because it’s not mine and someone is probably looking for it. Although some people would say that keeping the wallet is a “finder’s keepers loser’s weepers” moment, most people would consider picking up a wallet and keeping it as a form of stealing. As stated in the article, research shows that the more money there s in the wallet, the more likely it is to be returned. But it should not matter how much money, if any at all, is in the wallet because it is not your belonging. What if you dropped your wallet with your ID and $20 in it? You would want it back too.
If I found a wallet that didn’t belong to me, no matter what it contains, I would try my hardest to return it to its owner. A lot of wallets contain either a credit/debit card or cash. My cards and cash are extremely important to me, obviously because they help me provide for myself, but mainly because I view them as a sense of pride. I work hard for my money, so I have a lot of pride in it. If I lost my wallet and it wasn’t returned or my cards/cash were taken it would most likely ruin my mood completely and make me pretty depressed. Due to the fact that I know how I would feel if my wallet was stolen, it completely transfers to my actions. I would try to return a lost wallet because I know it contains hard earned valuables that I have no business taking. I don’t understand people who don’t return or steal from lost wallets. I can understand 5$ but if it is a greater amount of money then it should be returned just how it was found. If I were to do so I would feel horrible about myself because I know I did nothing to earn that money and someone else worked hard for it. I really just think to myself “treat others how you want to be treated” when I find a lost wallet, and I also think about the work people put into getting money, no matter the amount.
If you have ever lost something important to you then you would know how it feels to never find it, not very fun. I think that people fail to realize that a wallet contains more than just cash for a new pair of shoes. People keep their IDs, credit cards, social security, and insurance cards. These are things that people need and are not only hard to replace but without a drivers license the owner can’t even drive legally. Personally if I ever found a lost wallet I would be sure to return it or give it to someone who can find the owner. If put in a situation like this you have to put yourself in their shoes and think how you would feel if you lost your wallet and what you would want the person to do who found it.
@Natalie tews I agree People keep everything that's important to them in their wallet. They could family pictures and memories that they always want to have with them so if I found a lost wallet I'd turn it over to the authorities so they could find who's it was.
Most of the time, if I were to find a lost wallet I would try to return it, but I also wonder if the person realized where they lost it and they are on their way back to get it. However, if I were approached with the situation where someone gave me a lost wallet and they didn’t have time to look for the owner, I would definitely try to contact the owner of the wallet. I would feel guilty if I didn’t at least try to return what someone else lost because I would want someone to do the same for me. Factors like how much money is in the wallet or the picture on the ID would not affect my decision on whether or not I should return the wallet to its owner. If someone had found a wallet that I lost, I would want them to try to return it to me.
If I ever see a wallet with money, I would pick it up and run to my hood. I understand why people would want to return it. I am not one to get very guilty too often. Also, It would be worth it. At the end of the day, money is money, and it is not my fault that you dropped your money. If it has and ID and license, I would try to return those, since they’re pretty important, but I would keep the money nonetheless.
@DeAndre, You wrote a very controversial but brutally honest comment. You are absolutely correct when you say, "money is money, and it is not my fault that you dropped your money." You feel that the rule 'finders keepers' applies to this situation and that you are the one that gets to decide what happens to the money because you found it. I on the other hand would attempt to return the money as well as the other contents of the wallet. I could not let myself pocket the now 'dirty' money knowing that someone out there is missing it. Our differences in action show how we all have ways to justify our actions as right.
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If I had the time to return a lost wallet, I would, but if I’m in a hurry to go somewhere, I might as well just leave it alone where it is, you never know if someone is running back to grab their wallet. If I have the chance, I would return a wallet. I wouldn’t want someone to steal my wallet and my money, so why would I? It’s very immoral to steal someone's wallet too. I do not care how poor or needy you are, it’s not your wallet, so return it. I hope that people who say that they would return a wallet would actually go through with it. Actions mean more than words, and it’s almost guaranteed that a teenager who finds a wallet with lots of cash in it would take it, so here’s hoping that all these respondents are being truthful (and for myself as well).
In the situation of a lost wallet laying on the sidewalk, I would try to return it to it owner. For one, it would make me feel guilty for taking the money—rightfully so; Spending somebody else’s hard earned money, and knowing that they are most likely stressed about losing their wallet would make me feel uncomfortable. Also, nowadays, it is very common for this type of situation to be a social experiment. Maybe it could be a fake wallet, and if you return it, you would receive more money. Personally, I wouldn’t feel right taking the wallet for myself.
It is only right to return a lost wallet if you find it. Put yourself in their shoes, and imagine how much you would be freaking out if you lost a wallet. Your credit card, license, and ID would all be gone, and think about how thankful you would be for someone giving it back. You don’t have to waste all that time on the phone getting everything cancelled and getting new cards, and you should especially return it if the name and address are evident. However, it is different finding loose money on the ground. With that it is kind of like finders keepers, because there is truly no way to know who’s it is for sure, and most likely you’re not going to find a large sum of money. A wallet is a whole different deal because what they contain is usually worth a lot more than just a few dollars, and they usually have access to bank accounts and things of that sort. Overall, just put yourself in their shoes and think, would I want my wallet back.
I’ve always been raised with the mentality of treating how you want to be treated, so in applying that to this situation. I can’t imagine myself doing anything other than returning the wallet. Having lost my wallet I know it ruins people’s days/weeks and I know how crucial everything is in a wallet, so returning it just seems like the right thing to do. No matter of money would change the answer because I have no interest in their money even though it may be beneficial to me, I don’t know their life or how it could be changed by them losing their wallet. But I think the most intriguing part of this question is how much it brought to my attention how valuable a wallet actually is. These wallets hold so much information as well as all your currency for living, so losing it is detrimental. I don’t know if there’s a way to make a wallet less scary to lose because it needs to be less essential to our livelihood than what it is.
I personally would for sure return a wallet that has money. Why? Because I know that if I dropped my wallet too, I would really want someone to return it to me as well. Furthermore, I would really feel bad for his loss and all the hassle they would face from waiting in line at the DMV for a new license to calling all of the credit card companies, this inconvenience is something we would not even wish upon our worst enemies. But this sense of feeling bad is called sympathy. And slowly and slowly our world is growing to be more sympathetic and we are more connected that we ever were. This connection not only strengthens our bond as a humanity, but it also makes us treat each other better. More and more as technology develops and as our world becomes more connected wallets will be returned and wars will be prevented.
If I would ever find a wallet on the ground, I would try my best to return it to the person who lost it. If the wallet would have a license or ID in it, returning the wallet would be easy and I would definitely do it. In the past I have found money on the ground and have tried to return it to the person that dropped it, but in most cases the person who dropped the money is nit in sight. If I were to find a wallet with a lot of money in it I would definitely feel guilty about taking what is someone else’s money. I feel like most people would do the right thing and return the wallet to the rightful owner. If I were to ever lose my wallet, I oils want the person that found it to do the right thing and return it back to me. So, that is why I would try and do the right thing and give a lost wallet back to the person.
I would return a lost wallet if I found one. The person who lost their wallet worked hard to earn any of the money that’s inside and I also think that it’s unethical to take someone’s wallet when you could just as easily return it. I have actually found a wallet before. It belonged to a student at my school and luckily for me her student ID was in the outside clear pocket of the wallet so I didn’t even have to open the wallet to search for identification. I didn’t even think about what was inside the wallet because my parents raised me to respect other people’s property and to not steal anything. Morally, I feel that I’m obligated to return someone’s stuff, especially anything that is of value. I feel that it’s wrong to take things that don’t belong to us especially when we don’t know what type of person they are and what situation they could be in.
The findings make me happy to live in a time where people are more willing to return lost items rather than keep them for themselves. I think that we can be good and greedy. It honestly depends on the person and what motives/reasons they have for doing that action.
Ethical considerations weigh heavily on my actions. I was raised to be honest and a good person. I wouldn’t want someone to take my stuff so what gives me the right to take theirs? Also, I would feel guilty if I didn’t try to return someone’s wallet to them if I had the chance.
Although finding a wallet with a lot of money in it would be nice to keep, morally, giving it back or turning it in would be the best option. Losing a wallet is very unfortunate, so most people’s first reaction would be to feel sympathy and do what they can to return it. Even though there are some people who would take the money in a heart beat, most would try and get it back to the owner. This shows that humanity is in safe hands, due to most people doing what is right.
There are lots to consider when finding a lost wallet. Let’s say, you found a wallet buried in the depths of the Saharan desert with no ID. This would be very hard to return or even to give to someone, saying it is lost. This particular wallet has $40,000 in cash though, and it would likely be impossible to give back to the owner. I feel that in this situation, with this amount of money, that it should be spent toward people in need, and not just yourself. If a wallet was lost in an area that could easily be returned with lost of money in it, I would certainly give it back. Even if I did take it, I would feel horrible spending it, knowing the persons money I am using was hard earned, and I just happened to find it on the ground. In most cases, returning the wallet is the best thing to do.
I would always return a wallet no matter how much money it had in it, or i’d just leave it alone, because i wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I understood that that could be someone’s last dollar and they’re freaking out about it. It’s just wrong to take stuff that isn’t yours, especially of that magnitude. I keep a lot of important things in my wallet and i couldn’t imagine what it would be like if I misplaced it and someone picked it up and walked off with it. I personally couldn’t do it to someone else, because i don’t want it to be done to me.
If I ever found a lost wallet I would return it if possible. I always try to look for the person who dropped it. Most of the times I've ever found a lost wallet it's after they have just dropped it so it's easier to get them and know whose wallet it is. I’ve never really thought about if there’s money in the wallet changing my mind on returning it or not. If I found a wallet though that I’ve looked for the owner for a while and can’t find him or her then I start checking inside the wallet to see if there’s a phone number or anything. If there’s nothing I check how much cash is in it, if there’s more than a hundred I bring it to the police station and report it. Even if there wasn’t that much money in it or anything at all I probably would just leave it there to be safe. I feel like there’s such a difference between finding cash on the ground verses finding a wallet. I think the main reason for this is just that it feels more like someones property when it’s inside a wallet.
If I ever found a wallet on the ground I would try my best to return the wallet to its rightful owner. That person worked hard for that money and the guilt would eat away at me if I did decide to keep the wallet. Even if I did take it the pay-out wouldn’t be very good due to the majority of people using a credit or debit card. You also have to think what if it was you who had lost your wallet and you had important things in your wallet like your drivers licence and credit card. I personally think the right thing to do is to return it to its rightful owner and relieve them of their stress.
I have little doubts that the 202 students who have written before me have nearly all said they would pick up the wallet the found on the street. It the right thing to do, because behind that wallet on the street is a very stressed out person, and of course I would be one of those people. I am a very forgetful person, this past week I’ve probably said I’ve lost my phone, when it’s really right in front of me, or even in my hand, more times than I can count. So of course I’ve lost my wallet before. An 8th grader with $30 in a lost Vera Bradley wallet is not quite what other people are writing about, but being in that situation is really stressful. Luckily I had left it at a store counter, so I was able to call the store and make sure it was safe, but if I had found my lost wallet and seen that money was taken from it, I would feel awful. So no, I wouldn’t take money from a wallet I found on the street. I would try and return it to the best of my ability’s.
I could never imagine not giving back a person's wallet no matter the amount of money in it. You have no idea what that money means to that person. It could be all the money they have left to eat for the month or pays there rent. You also have to think about what if it was your wallet that was taken. Morally I couldn't live with the fact that I could have stolen a person lively hood. Yes it is stealing that is someone's money that they worked for and you found it and had a way to return it and didn't so yes it is stealing
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The immediate response to this question is yes, then again after further consideration how many people chose to share yes even though they know it’s not true. Personally yeah I’d return it but there is only so much effort one could exert in that endeavor. If there is no ID what could I or even the police station do. However the issue of having a credit card changes that. Though we can all agree just a small sum of cash is a hard thing to find the owner of.
Fortunately, I have never lost my wallet before, but to me it is a no-brainer to return the lost wallet to the owner, regardless of how much money there is inside. Sadly, I think that when people are faced with this difficult situation they often have trouble deciding whether to return the wallet or not. Personally, I would not be able to live with the guilt of stealing even the smallest amount of someone’s belongings, such as money, gift cards, or credit cards. I think that it is important to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and understand how they must be feeling very upset since they’re missing their wallet. I believe that when you do the right thing and help someone out it is very rewarding. I hope that if I ever lose my wallet the person who finds it will do the same for me.
@Kaitlyn Conoscenti I agree. I would 100% return it. I always think to myself "What if someone were doing this to me?". I know that if I had ever lost my wallet and nobody returned it I would be upset so why would I want to make someone else upset.
I would return the wallet regardless of if it had money in it or not because that’s what I’d want people to do for me. They probably had something valuable in their wallet that they need to function in everyday life such as, an ID or credit card. I think keeping a lost wallet is considered stealing, but at the same time others might not consider it stealing because the person was careless enough to lose it in the first place and didn’t come back for it. Lost wallets should always be returned no matter how desperate you are because you may be rewarded for it and it could change someone’s day. This was a great study because it shows how people aren’t how they seem and are very genuine and sympathetic towards others.
If I found a wallet on the sidewalk and picked it up and noticed the inside had either little or a lot of money then I’ll return it. Even if I was in a need of money. Simply because if I lost my wallet, I would freak out because of all my ID’s in there and would want to get it back. So if I wouldn’t like it, why do it to others. Keeping a wallet is like stealing because even though you didn’t exactly come up with taking that particular person’s wallet, you still kept it and took what you found was valuable to you. You just found it on the floor and instead of returning it, you kept it.
This topic actually pairs very well with a YouTube video I watched a while back by a man named Mark Rober. In this video Mark conducts an experiment in which he makes identical wallets and sends them out across the country and drops them to test if people will pick up his wallet and try to return it. If returned he asked a few questions to the person who returned it like if they were religious or what gender they were. Anyway he found that most of the wallets were actually returned in the same condition as they were dropped regardless if they had money in them. This seems to prove that people are more likely to return a wallet even with money being inside. Personally I would also return the wallet because I know whoever dropped it would be hurt if I did not.
I’m not one to talk about finding money because I would say I don’t have the best luck, but if I found a wallet on the ground, I would first check to see if there were any ID’s. Then maybe If I’m feeling risky slide a dollar or two in my wallet because honestly that is something I would do. Stealing isn’t something i do a lot but the chances that they will even notice that a dollar or two missing is very low. After all of that, I would then go to the nearest police station and do the right thing and turn myself in for stealing. I’m just kidding the wallet is what I would be turning in. Finally, I would then go to McDonald’s and buy myself a mcChicken with the two dollars I took and I would be happy, ...I’d be loving it.
If I found a wallet I would definitely turn it in, because I know I would be worried if I lost it, especially since it would have my driver’s license, health insurance card, debit card and money. It shouldn’t matter how much money is in it or it’s other contents, because that isn’t yours and money can be a very personal thing. It’s common courtesy to return it to the person or at least try. If you live in a big city it may be difficult to get it back where it belongs since there are so many people, but making an effort at least shows you care. Especially for people who don’t have credit/debit cards, the cash in their wallet could be all they have, so finding their wallet would be very important to their everyday lives.
If I found a wallet on the ground, I would return it no matter if it had money, no money, gift cards, etc. The wallet was lost by someone who rightfully earned that money and it’s theirs. I don’t think it is fair for someone to take it. No matter the picture on the ID I would return it right away and not think twice about taking the money. If I were to lose my wallet I would like for whoever found it, to return it immediately and with all the money in it. Let’s say I did take the money in this wallet, I would feel incredibly guilty the entire time I had it. Even if I spent it, I would feel so much guilt every time I looked at whatever I bought with that money. I have never found a wallet but regardless I would still return it. I do think that taking a lost wallet is stealing. Even if nobody saw you take the money, you are still stealing from the person who lost it. If they went back to look for it, and found it without any of the money in it, they would definitely think it was stealing.
When I first started reading this article I honestly thought that a lot of people would have taken the money but to my surprise, the study showed people would return the money. I do think that it is a little sad that more people would return the wallet if it had more money in it. I think that everyone should take responsibility and return it whether or not it had $1 or $2,000 in it.
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I would absolutely turn in any wallet that I find on the ground, regardless of what’s in it. I think that it is the right thing to do and that I would be weighed down by guilt if I didn’t. I have left things behind before, like my phone with my ID, debit card, gift cards, and money inside. Thankfully I have always gone back or had it returned to me. Two years ago I had my Raybans and money stolen at a concert. I was devastated and so scared to tell my parents; it was not a fun experience.
Growing up as a Christian, I have always been taught to do the right thing, no matter how bad you don’t want to. I think that the study mentioned in the article represents that overall the human population would at least first try to do the right thing. Overall, returning any wallet or item you’ve found that someone has lost is always the right thing to do and I think that good things come to those who are kind without expecting anything in return.
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@Sophia Caparelli I am so grateful for people like you in our society. Being a Christian as well, I was instilled with the same values that you have been raised on. I remember when I was five years old, and I lost my favorite stuffed animal in the streets of New York (I carried that thing everywhere). I was so sad and I ruined the trip for my entire family. However, on the last day of my trip, the front desk lady at the hotel I was staying at informed me that my stuffed animal was picked up by housekeeping, and they had forgotten to return it. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest.
This story is always in the back of my mind when I find something on the ground. I could never imagine someone stealing something from me, so every time I find something on the ground-even money-I try to return it to someone or have someone hold onto it as soon as I can.
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I would definitely return a lost wallet or lost money because that person would probably be freaking out and wondering where it is. If there's money in there maybe that's the only money there living off of. I consider it stealing if you're taking someone's wallet and not giving it back. I personally have never picked up somebody's wallet before but i have lost mine which was the worst thing EVER! I remember going to the mall with my friend and I was trying on shoes and I sat my wallet down and after I got done try shoes on I left. We got into the car and drove to the next place. I'm getting out of the car trying to look for my wallet and I found out that I lost it. I went back into the mall where I tried on shoes and I asked the later at the desk if anyone had returned my wallet and I was so relieved when they lady said “Yes! Is this yours”. I am very surprised that today's studies show that someone would more likely return it then keep the wallet.
I would return a wallet if it had money in it or not. I have never lost my wallet but I have lost my phone and other valuables in public places and each time I have been able to retrieve them. No one took them, or moved them. If someone was walking by and their wallet dropped out of the pocket I would absolutely grab it and give it back to them. Not in hopes for a reward or anything like that, just because it's the right thing to do. When I lost my phone and went back to the store I lost it in I found it right where I put it. This made me feel glad that the people who might have seen it left it where it was so that I could find it. At first I thought most people would probably take it but when I found it sitting there and saw the studies in this article I realized that maybe most humans are kind, honest, and or caring.
I would try to return it if there was an apparently easy way for me to do so like a law enforcement officer standing nearby or such. I think it's not a matter of if your a bad person it's a matter of ease, in this day and age we want an easier and easier way to do everything, even returning a lost wallet. Plus most of the time people have credit cards and very small amounts of cash so there's no real payout if you steal it.
If you find someones lost wallet you should return it it regardless of the amount of money inside of it. I believe it is the right thing to do. I’ve lost my wallet before and it was very stressful because I had my debit card and drivers license along with some cash inside, in the end it was returned to me and I was very grateful that someone did that. If I kept someone wallet that I found I would feel very guilty and I don’t understand how people do that and feel okay with it.
First of all, I don't think the study described accurately portrays what someone would do if they found a wallet lying on the ground. In the study only receptionists were measured and furthermore they had been asked to send it back. I think that a more accurate study would be to place wallets on the ground with identification cards that all have numbers and addresses that the researchers have access to. That way they could really see what someone would do if they literally found a wallet on the ground.
As for the questions, I have never found a lost wallet and I am not surprised at all about what the study found, mostly because I don't see the study to be accurate. If I was at my workplace and someone asked me to return a wallet for them I would feel almost required to follow through on their request. Despite a vast majority of students commenting that they would return a wallet if they found one on the ground, I believe that the numbers the study found would be much lower, as most wallets would be left on the ground due to the hustle and bustle of today's world. Most people won't take the time to try and return it. I know that if I found a lost wallet I would definitely return it. I try to always put myself in others' shoes before every decision I make, so that I can understand to some point how they might feel. I would do this and realize that I'd be freaking out if I had lost my wallet. I don't and never will wish that feeling on any person so I would return the wallet.
@Noah K. I definitely think that this study wasn't every accurate and fair like you said. I think that it would have shown much different results if they had placed the wallets on the ground to see if people would return it. I would feel so incredibly guilty if I found a wallet and didn't return it or keep the money. I don't think it is fair to the person who lost it. I would love to see the results of this if they did the test your way.
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A few years back I had lost my wallet at the local toy store. I must have been playing with a display when I put my wallet down on a table. We left the store and drove off to the next. When I went to get out of the car I couldn't find my wallet anywhere. We called the store and it hadn't been turned in. That meant some kid probably had it and took it when their parents weren't looking or maybe it was an adult who knows. All I know is I was devastated. I (foolishly) had around 100 dollars in there plus gift cards. Knowing how sad I felt when this happened to me if I ever saw a wallet with any amount of money or cards I would turn it just because I know how it feels. I found it interesting that in the study the more money the more likely for it to be turned in. We do this because we don't want to feel personally responsible: I don't want to be the reason someone loses any money but for other people, they don't want to be the reason for a large amount of money being stolen. It all boils down to our moralities in life.
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@Grace Trimpey-Warhaftig Im going to be honest, my first answer to this question was no. I wouldn’t return a wallet with money in it.
If I see five, twenty something dollars on the floor, maybe even just one dollar, I’m taking it. So when confronted with this question I thought I would do the if it were a wallet and not a couple of dollars.
But then I thought a little more on the question, and thought maybe I wouldn’t.
Wallets aren’t just bills lying around. A five dollar bill on the floor doesn’t have an ID card or a debit card, or a picture of someone’s baby, or a driver's license. all things a wallet has. There is no evidence, no tag on a dollar that can tell you who it belongs to, but there is plenty of indication as to who a wallet belongs to, in that wallet.
To see a large amount of money laying around Ian tempting, and if that money was simply laying on the floor with no indication as to who it belonged to, I’d take it. But to see physical evidence that someone owns that money and know that I had not just money, but probably even gift cards and credit cards, and even baby pictures of some random child, all belonging to someone who is probably desperate to get them back, I wouldn’t take it. Sure I fall to the temptation of greed but I’m not invulnerable to guilt or empathy. And I think they would win over greed, if it ever came down to that.
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I once lost my wallet and at the time, I had what I considered to be a lot of money in it. No one returned it. I was young, but I remember being really upset about it. Also my mom was super mad. I think maybe in my country, Kyrgyzstan, people are really poor and they would want to keep the wallet. It really depends on someone's economic status, I think. It is really good that a lot of people in the U.S. and Europe would return a wallet. That says good things about people, that they really might try to think outside of their own situation and realize how they might feel if they lost money like that. After reading the article and thinking about it, I would want to do what is right. So, if I found a wallet with money in it, I would try to find the owner or give it to someone who would keep it safe, like a police officer.
@Kamila Irsalieva That is a good point, that money drives the decision and the economic status of the person is another factor.
Sadly I am one of those suckers that would return a lost wallet no matter if it had a grand or enough money for only two packs of gum. The logical part of my brain would think “free money, there is absolutely no problem in accepting this accidental gift,” but my emotional side would think “If I do that bad juju will follow leading to me crossing a black cat next to a row of mirrors that will spontaneously combust, cracking said mirrors along with burning down an entire field of 4 leaf clovers, dooming me to bad luck jail for all eternity,” or something along those lines. My right brain would keep chastising my left brain leading to sleep deprivation, questioning of oneself, and eventual acceptance that I can’t get over stealing even the slightest amount of cash from a stranger. I hate my moral compass, it makes me do the right choices not the smart ones. Now, if said stolen wallet was from a close friend of mine, Imma take that without any doubts. Only for about a day without any pilfering, just because I know they can do better, and they’re disappointing me. I have never had the personal experience of stranger money falling into my grasp, but the sheer amount of paranoia and fear that would invoke in me would immediately make me either return it on the spot, or stand there for 5 minutes straight and then promptly run home in a frenzy. That potential wallet would be the end of me.
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I would definitely return a lost wallet. I believe that it’s one of things in life that you just do. To me returning a lost wallet is like washing your hands it’s more than necessary. The factors that influence me is that feeling of doing the right thing, because when it follows me until I do something to cancel it out. I guess you could look at it both ways, some people can argue because you took something that didn’t belong to you without permission which is the definition of stealing. Many people can argue that if someone were to leave something behind and not come back then the finders keepers rule applies to that situation. But in my opinion it's all about treating others the way you want to be treated because if you lost a wallet you'd want someone to return it to you so why not be that way with someone else.
@Lamond
I definitely agree with you saying "The factors that influence me is that feeling of doing the right thing" it is the BEST feeling!
@Lamond I think you're right about treating people the way you want to be treated. If I lost my wallet I would have a heart attack. I would hope someone would return my wallet. I also think it would be hard to sit with the guilt.
A while back my Dad took me to Sandwich Fair located in Dupage County, IL. The 185 acres of well manicured park-like settings combined with the charming buildings make it a hotspot for tourism. Unfortunately, as a result of the chaos from the large crowds my Dad lost his wallet. This not only meant the end of our time at the festival but the loss of valuables like credit cards and personal information. It was a panicky and eerie feeling to know that someone is in possession of your personal information and money. However, my Dad and I ran to the lost and found and someone had actually returned my Dad’s lost wallet. I distinctly remember getting a sigh of relief and a feeling of joy when I heard the news and I’m sure my Dad’s level of relief was exponentially higher (considering it was his wallet). After experiencing that amount of worry and panic I was able to have empathy for people in similar positions as my Dad and I were in. In response to the prompt, if I were to find someone’s wallet on the ground I would definitely return it because I wouldn’t wish the amount of anxiety we underwent on my worst enemy. Also, if their were large amounts of cash in it, that would give me even more reason to return it because I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing I robbed someone of their hard earned money.
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@Caden Todor I like this out look on it, whoever's wallet it was worked hard for that money, not you. I think this would make most people feel guilty and end up returning the wallet.
I have never found a lost wallet, however, I can promise myself that if I did, I would return it. To me, no amount of money that you didn't earn yourself is worth the guilt of stealing someone else's. This summer, my wallet got stolen. I was shopping and went into the dressing room, leaving my cart directly outside the curtain. My wallet was sitting on top of a pile of clothes in my cart, and as I reached out to get those clothes, my wallet was no longer there.
This made me upset; there were weeks worth of payments in there. However, after the initial sadness of losing the actual money, came this rush of disappointment in the person who stole it.
My whole life, I've grown up thinking everybody is good; that almost everyone will do the right thing. Although it's pretty dramatic, this incident made me view our society differently -at least for that day- questioning literally everyone, and assuming that everyone is dishonorable.
After a couple of days though, I drifted back into my old mentality. Sure, if you leave your wallet visible to random strangers someone might take it. However, it is completely unproductive and dangerous to negatively categorize society as a whole because of one bad person.
Humans are generally good people with good morals, and we will never achieve anything if we assume otherwise.
For me this question is a no-brainer, I would return the wallet regardless of how much money it contained. When faced with a situation like this I always think about what I would want someone to do if they picked up my lost wallet. Obviously I would return it but another question comes up in regards to that persons privacy. Should you be allowed to look through the items in their wallet? I think it’s appropriate to go through their belongings as long as it’s only done with the intention of finding who the wallet belongs to. All this brings us back to the saying, “treat others the way you want to be treated” why shouldn’t we treat their belongings the same?
If I lost my wallet on ground or anywhere I would appreciate it if someone handed it back to me. They it was found nothing missing from it. I believe that giving something back to other could have reward no matter if there no money involved for prize. When you give back something that someone been wanting for while no matter if it’s wallet. It could be loaning them money or just helping someone else. It will always feel great help in someone in need. So when it comes to that point where i do find a lost wallet I would return it. Course knowing anything else doing the right thing would always give something back in reward maybe that god has give you for very future
If I lost my wallet I would be upset, however, it depends on what was in the wallet, I would be least concerned about the money and more worried about maybe my social security card, my license, or ID. If my wallet was returned to me or I found it without the money I would still be thankful to find the rest of my belongings, I would just think, “man I know who ever got that $200 was happy”, because if I found $200 that would’ve made my day.
I don't think I could ever keep a wallet I found. My conscience wouldn't allow it. When I get into a situation like this, or someone asks me a similar question, I try to put myself in their shoes. If I lost my wallet, I would want it to be returned to me. And I'm sure that's exactly how everyone else would feel. So why would you keep it? You never know what the person could be going through financially. Always return a wallet. Or anything for that matter.
Finding a wallet on the ground can be a moral dilemma for most people, especially when there are loads of cash found in that wallet. Obviously, a majority of people would be enticed to take the money and act like they never found the wallet, but from these studies shown, that is not the case. To me this proves the moral integrity of the human race and people around the world. We strive for good intentions and look to help others rather than tear them down or steal from them.
I would never take someone’s wallet due to the shear sense of guilt that accompanies these actions. Money is not something given freely to anyone who wants it. Money is something that is earned in life, and it’s not fair to take that hard work away from someone.
Life is hard. Nothing comes easy to anyone, but as humans we have built resilience through the ages to overcome any obstacle, and success in life is something everyone strives for. I believe this article is illustrating the bigger picture that everyone in this world needs to push each other for bigger accomplishments, bigger successes. Encourage each other to reach higher goals, strive for something bigger than yourself. Rather than ignoring the wallet or taking the money inside, pick it up; turn it in to someone who can find the owner. That is a little deed that can make someones life a lot easier.
Life is hard, so make it easier for someone else, not harder
If I found a wallet on the ground I would return it regardless if there was money or not. I think that is the right thing to do and that is the main reason that would influence me to do so. It may seem easy to take whatever cash is in there and then return it, but that’s still stealing. If you don’t return it then it’s also stealing. I am a believer in karma, both good and bad. If I steal the wallet, the whole thing or just some cash, the universe will punish me. On the other hand if I return the wallet untouched, the universe will reward me so long as I don’t expect it. I have never found a wallet on the ground but I have walked past people who have dropped cash and the thought always crossed my mind, “would someone notice if I kept it?” But nevertheless, I have a guilty conscious and I could never follow through, so I get the person’s attention and hand it back because it’s the nice thing to do.
@Mackenzie Wernicke I completely agree with you. You can't justify stealing no matter what you say to yourself. I don't know if I believe in karma or not, but I do believe that if you do something wrong, you will be punished in some way, shape, or form. I’ve found money on the ground before, kept it, and didn't think twice about it. But if I see someone drop anything, money, wallet, even something as simple as a pencil, I will return it. Not because I'm afraid of the karma that may follow, but because it’s the right thing to do.
@Mackenzie Wernicke I completely agree with your belief on returning wallets. As a firm believer of karma too, I do believe that doing good deeds for others without expecting anything in return yields positive results. Although it can be extremely tempting to want to take cash out of others’ wallets, there is no greater feeling of guilt I would have than knowing the pain the wallet owner would be feeling knowing their hard work and personal information was in the hands of a stranger. I think karma is a really effective way to handle many of life’s greatest dilemas, because when you put good into the world, you’re guaranteed to be praised for it in some way, shape, or form. Awesome post Mackenzie!
In a world where everybody is just trying to make an extra buck, It’s wrong to assume that someone wouldn’t be tempted by a lost wallet with a lot of money in it. However, I’m not surprised by the statistics found in the article. Keeping that lost wallet with money would be considered morally wrong for most of us. What if that money was someone’s rent or their grocery money for the week? I assume people in the study who have returned lost wallets are thinking the same thing. We don’t know the owner of the wallet’s financial situation, and by taking that money, it could put them in an unstable condition financially. So, like the people in the study, I believe that if I happen to see a lost wallet, I would try to contact and try to return the wallet as soon as possible. I would be really worried if I had lost my wallet with money in it, so assuming that the person’s wallet I found would be in the same predicament, I would want to help them out as much as I could. Possibly worsening someone’s situation to benefit me personally does not sit right with me. I think it's necessary to think of other people and how you could possibly affect them and their situations when you make decisions like deciding to take the money or return the wallet.
If I found a lost wallet I would try my very hardest to return it. If there was an ID that would be helpful because I would know who to give it to. However, if I was in the middle of nowhere and there was no information or nobody to give it to, I may just take it. It’s not stealing because of finders keepers (that applies if I had already tried to find the owner). I have found bills on the street if when it was crowded. One time I asked someone if it was theirs and they said no but the next time they said yes. I realized maybe it wasn’t theirs and it’s probably better to keep it. If I didn’t keep it someone else would and they could use it to buy something bad like narcotics while I would use it for something good like chocolate milk. If someone had pictures of their family or something special to them in the wallet, I would return it. People who walk around with like a billion dollars in cash are weird anyway. Who even uses cash anymore right, it’s all about Bitcoin. (Technically, I use cash because my parents think I will blow through all my money with a debit card.) I would feel guilty if I didn’t return the wallet without doing my best to find the owner because I consider myself a generally good person.
@Lena I agree, try to find the owner and return if possible but if no one is able to be contacted about it then what can you do. Ive also been in the situation of finding money on the street and asking the immediate people around me to see if I could return it to the owner but anyone could have said it was theirs whether it was or not. In those moments its hard picking what to do but if it is an easy task like looking at an ID to see who to return a wallet to then I say just do it.
@Lena I agree, try to find the owner and return if possible but if no one is able to be contacted about it then what can you do. Ive also been in the situation of finding money on the street and asking the immediate people around me to see if I could return it to the owner but anyone could have said it was theirs whether it was or not. In those moments its hard picking what to do but if it is an easy task like looking at an ID to see who to return a wallet to then I say just do it.
If I ever found a wallet on the ground, I would most definitely return it to the owner without hesitation. In fact I would be on the phone with the owner before I even considered checking the other folds for cash or credit cards. I have to admit something, I am a naturally remorseful human and the guilt would literally eat me alive, at least before the wallet burned a whole in my jean pockets. I have never stolen anything in my life (with the exception of pennies you found on the ground as a child) and I don’t plan to. My parents taught me right from wrong.
Side note - I’m not a religious being, but I do believe in the power of the universe, most specifically karma, and sooner or later the bad karma is bound to find you. And I do not want to take that chance...
The feeling of losing your wallet is like no other. As I have lost mine multiple times, I know exactly the amount of stress and nervousness going through your brain. Through the many experiences in my life, I believe 100 percent that the best thing to do would be to return it to it’s rightful owner. Put yourself in their shoes, imagine having $200 in your wallet and it's gone just like that, without having a clue where it could have gone. The amount of money in the wallet should never have an influence on your decision of taking it or not. Immediately search the wallet for a phone number or email so it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Be ready for the situation before it occurs.
I have never found a lost wallet before, but if I did I would have returned it back to the owner, especially if it had a lot of money in it. However, some might just take the money for themselves and not return the money. If I was stuck in this situation, I would say to myself, “Taking the money is not worth it, because it is someone else’s earnings.” I wouldn’t know if that person earned it, or worked for it, but it is still theirs in the end. Even though I'll still have thoughts going through the back of my head, I know that returning the money is the right thing to do. It states, “...they are most likely lost wallets containing money”, I completely agree that this is true because if there was a lot of money in the wallet I would’ve returned it to the person because they probably deserved it, and the guilt that I would have to face after I stole it would not be pretty.
Losing something never feels good, especially if it's important to you. If I found a wallet on the ground, I would find out who it belongs to and attempt to contact them. I haven't lost a wallet, and I can only imagine how bad it would feel to do that. Knowing that a bunch of stuff that belongs to you, like money and credit cards, is now in the hands of any stranger who just picked up your wallet is sort of scary. They could do anything with all your cash, and you may never get it back. I think that most people aren't criminals, and would definitely try to return the wallet, but I also think some people would take cash while doing so.
If I found a wallet on the ground I would try to find the owner right away by going through it and trying to find a phone number or an address. What I think about is if I lost a wallet, which I have, I would be devastated searching drastically to find it. The feeling of losing your wallet is terrifying. When I lost my wallet I never saw it again and I felt so much guilt for losing it. I put in a lot of work to gain that money from birthdays, chores and helping around the neighborhood. To see it all just disappear really discouraged.
My dad, brother and I were out in Chicago for a conference and my dad lost his wallet. We looked everywhere for it but when all hope was lost my dad got a phone call. A person found our wallet and called us. We were so happy to get the wallet back. I just want everyone to have the same feelings we did of being reconnected with our belongings to get rid of their terror. That is why I’m going to try to get their belongings back to them.
If I found a lost wallet I would without a doubt return it. I would hate to be the person who lost that money. I would have sympathy for the person because I know what it feels like to lose money. Luckily, I have never gotten money stolen from me, but my friend has. She accidentally left her wallet in the bathroom of our school, and inside the wallet were gift cards, her ID, and $40. Someone took it and she was devastated. I saw how that affected her, and I would never want that to happen to anyone else. Also, there wasn’t anything that the school could do because it was during a time when you didn't have to sign out to go to the bathroom, so who was in the bathroom during that time could not be tracked. Even if there was a large sum of money I honestly STILL would not take it. That’s just wrong, and I wouldn’t want to suffer karma.
@Thalia
It's a terrible feeling to lose your wallet with such valuable things inside. There are not enough people these days willing to give it back regardless of the amount of money. Stealing a wallet is wrong in every way. I also agree when you say that even if there was a great amount of money in it, I still would have to give it back because karma will come back to bite me hard!
I have never found a lost wallet before, but I can’t imagine a circumstance in which I would find one and not return it, regardless of the amount of money in it. If there was no money in it whatsoever, then what good is it doing me to keep it? To intentionally withhold a wallet in that situation would just be cruel in my opinion. If there was money in it, I’m sure that I would behave in a similar way to what this study suggests. I try to be a good person, and the guilt of keeping the wallet for myself would eat away at me. Knowing myself, my conscience would be nagging me endlessly, and I would eventually turn it in. Besides, I’d like to hope that if I were to lose my wallet, then somebody would return it to me. In the end, the small or even large monetary gain is just not worth the amount of guilt and awful feeling accompanying it.
Honestly, I am not all that surprised by the findings of this study. I think that humans do have a greedy and dishonest nature that pulls on our thoughts and actions often. However, I believe that the majority of us fight against that urge because we truly want to be good people. It makes sense that the larger the amount of money, the larger the “psychological cost” of not turning it in. I think that regardless of some selfish tendencies, humans care about the wellbeing of others, and if not, at least being able to call themselves a good person.
@Olivia (4B), I agree with you, you gotta return the wallet no matter how much money the person has in it. Even if it is hard to return it the reward is relieving their stress.
@Olivia (4B) If I found a lost wallet, my conscience would also force me to give it back. I know that if I decided to keep it that guilt would take over and I would end up turning it in. I hope that if I was ever put in that situation that I would find a way to return it before I got the chance to become guilty, because I know that's the right thing to do.
A few months ago, my wallet fell out of my back pocket when I was getting into my car and I didn't realize it until a few hours later when I got an Instagram message from someone who used my name on my permit to find me. She told me she found it outside of her work, and I met her back there the next day to get it back. I was really grateful that she did the right thing and figured out how to return it to me.
If I found a wallet on the ground I would try and return it as best as I could. If I couldn't find the person I'd probably just set it down on the ground and hope someone else could help better. Definitely wouldn't take it myself.
If I found a lost wallet, the first thing I would do is check the ID for any sort of contact information whether that be phone number, address, etc. I would try to call the number if I find one and if they don't answer I would next check to see how much money is inside. If it is a large amount I would go to the owner's address and leave it on their porch or knock on their door and hand it to them. If the amount isn't that significant, I would probably just put it on something so that when someone comes looking for it they can find it easily. I have found a wallet and I went through exactly how I stated above. I have lost my phone at school because it fell out of my pocket and it was returned to the office by another student. That changed my view on other people because of the fact that phones are easy to take and hide but someone still decided to return it to the office. I was quite surprised with the results of the study because I would think that people would need the money to feed their families of just take care of themself. I do agree with Ms. Belluck's statement because lying on taxes is as easy as finding and pocketing a wallet. Except for the fact that you can get more money from lying on a tax return, but also can get in much more trouble. If I can't find the owner of the wallet I would take it to the police station so that the owner could get their wallet back because that may be their rent, or food for the week.
Personally if I saw a wallet on the ground my first reaction is to return it to the proper owner. But I know many thoughts would be running through my brain about the possibilities I could use the money for.
If I found a wallet on the ground I would try and return it as best as I could. If I couldn't find the person I'd probably just set it down on the ground and hope someone else could help better. Definitely wouldn't take it myself.
If I found a wallet with cash in the ground,I believe that part of me will want to grab the wallet take the cash and put back the wallet where I found it but the at the same time I would think who is the person who lost this wallet?or what if i lost my wallet and someone took it how would I feel?, So personally I would return the wallet to the rightful owner of the wallet.
@Vanessa I agree with you. I would feel bad if I stole someone's wallet, so I would try to return it. Getting something stolen isn't fun, and no one should have that happen to them.
@Vanessa As a person who has gone through a stollen wallet situation, I find your opinion ( and those of many other people on this article) very reassuring. You wonder how it feels and I have to say its TERRIBLE. I know my conscience would keep me from ever stealing a wallet as many people in the study did.
@Vanessa I agree, If I took someones wallet I would feel very guilty about it. If I found someone's lost wallet I would try to look at the situation from the owner of the wallet's point of view and understand how they felt. I've lost my wallet before so I know the feeling and I would feel obligated to return it.
If I find a wallet on the ground I would absolutely try to make sure that it returns to the owner. You never know when someone could be in a bad financial situation, and sometimes that wallet could have a couple of days' earnings. I would take that wallet, no matter how much money was in it and bring it to a police station to make sure it gets to the owner.
If I saw a lost wallet, just lying on the ground, I personally would not know what to think. I would most likely first grab it and look in it to see how much cash there is. My first reaction would be to pocket the cash and act like nothing happened, but at the same time, I’m thinking about the person who lost their wallet, and also,
what if I’m caught? What if the owner discovers their empty wallet, and traces the evidence back to me? Then I’m in a whole lot of problems. If I found a lost wallet, I would have no clue how to react, and possibly, just place it somewhere else, and walk away, going on with my day like there’s no problems. If I decide to take the wallet, I would feel guilt throughout the day, and most likely continuously be checking my back, and that’s why I would leave the wallet the same way I found it.
If I found a wallet on the ground a series of different thoughts would run through my brain. Let’s be honest, if the wallet has a lot of money in it then there would be something luring you towards taking the money for the new pair of Gucci shoes you saw in the mall. But, then you would think about what is going through the mind of the person who lost their wallet; how hard must they have worked to earn that money? Sure you could take that money for personal satisfaction, but there would definitely be a sense of guilt associated with every time you see someone without money. That fact is that taking someone’s else money is wrong. You would not want someone to take your lost wallet. That person earned their own money and you should too. If you really want the new pair of shoes, then you should make that money. There are so many people without the basic necessities that keep a human alive. And there are so many people who need money and work hard for it. The right thing to do is to return the wallet, give it to a police station, but don’t live with the guilt of taking something that’s not yours.
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@Amina Malik I also think that you should put yourself in that person's shoes and how upset they might be when you come across a situation like this. That greedy part of your brain will always urge you to take the money and buy things you probably don't need. However, the guilt of possibly making someone's life harder just so you can buy a new outfit would hopefully override that urge.
If I found someone’s wallet on the ground I would try and return it to its owner. The reason I wouldn’t steal that money is because I wouldn’t feel good about myself If I stole someone’s hard earned money. If I ever lost my wallet I would want someone to do the same as me and return my missing wallet to me.
@Aidan Allaway I agree. I would feel very guilty if I stole someone else’s money that they worked for. It wouldn’t be right to take money from someone else just because they lost it. I would hope that someone would try to get my wallet back to me if I were to lose it.
If I found a lost wallet I would give it back or find the person that the wallet belongs to. If none of those work I would turn it into the police. I would return it because everyone works really hard to make money for living and to fulfill people's wants and needs. If you find a wallet and you keep it is considering stealing. If I would of kept a lost wallet it wouldn't feel right for me I would feel really bad and shamed.
It really depends on the situation. No matter the amount I would definitely choose return instead of being selfish. Their wallet could be everything they have and beyond peoples belief a lot of us wouldn't keep a wallet. Although I would absolutely enjoy having $20-$2,000, the satisfaction of returning it and knowing that they wouldn't be stressed is a reward in itself.
I would definitely return a lost wallet. Regardless of money it is the right thing to do. Even an empty wallet, just because it doesn’t have money doesn’t mean it isn’t stealing as you are still taking someone’s property. I’m definitely no saint so who knows what I would actually do until I’m really faced with this decision. Like many others I would like to believe I would do the right thing and avoid the temptation to take however much money is in the wallet. This does make me think that, most people know what the right thing to do is and they assume that that is what they would do. I propose the idea that we all think we are better than we are in hypotheticals and we can never really know how we would react or act until we are faced with the situation.
@Jordan Mozockie I agree. It is important to do the right thing, especially if it involves the well being of others. I know that if I had lost a wallet, I would definitely want it returned to me.
If I came across a missing wallet, I would first look in it to see if the contents are important enough to be missed. Then I would just simply return it because If it were my wallet I would appreciate if someone was kind enough to do so.
If I ever found a wallet on the ground I would retern it to it's rightful owner or if there was no ID I would tern it into the policeIf I ever found a wallet on the ground I would retern the wallet to it's rightful owner or if there was no ID I would tern the wllet in to the wallet in to the police. I would do this because I don't want to steel money and it is wrong. There are many other ways to get money such as doing chores, and getting a job.
What would I do if I found a walter and the person was not near. most people would not return the wallet as stated in the text.But if it was me who found the alley and the person was not around i would look around in it and see if there was any information that i could use to try and contact the person.
if i was to find a wallet on the ground i would most likely just leave it there. because i don't really care. thing happen and ima just leave it be.
I think returning wallet would be the right thing to do, but the temptation of the money would be hard to get past. Everything inside a wallet is very important and all the IDs and credit cards would be very hard to replace so giving them it back would definitely be the right thing to do but I would definitely have the temptation to take the money.
This article talks about if you found a wallet, would you return it.? If I found a wallet that isn't mine, I would try and find any ID of the person and if I did, I would contact the person to return it. It would be hard if I couldn't find info of the person and I would go to a location where you turn in missing items you found. Or if I take more than 2 days trying to find the person, I would keep the wallet.
If I find a wallet no matter the amount of money is in I will try my best to return it myself if that doesn't work turn it into the police.
If I found a lost wallet and it has some form of identification, my first thought would be to keep it. If it is much too hard to return, though, I might have no choice. I have found lost objects and I have returned them. I haven’t ever found a lost wallet, but I don’t think my actions or the majority’s actions can say what human nature itself is like, since all humans aren’t the same. If I lost something with my contact information and I didn’t get it back, I wouldn’t be surprised nor would I be surprised if I did get it back. I don’t think this proves anything about human nature and doesn’t change anything for me.
If I found a wallet on the ground I would return it because it has so much that is valuable to one person. Specifically if the wallet had important things like credit cards or someone’s ID I would be more inclined to return it because those items can be difficult to replace. If I had the decision to keep or steal something that valuable, I would be extremely guilty keeping it. However, if I returned it I would feel that I did something good, which is an extra incentive to do the right thing. I have found people wallets and returned everyone of them without removing anything from it. It has been from someone missing their pocket/purse to just finding it on the path walk but yet I still decided to return them with what was left in it because for all I know that's all the money that person has.
If I found someone's lost wallet on the ground I would return it. I would return it because I would think about how much I would need my wallet and I would put myself in their shoes. I would think about what if they needed this for today or something they were heading to do, this would bother me if I kept it and didn’t try returning the wallet or purse. Also, keeping a lost wallet is stealing because you're basically taking someone's money away from them when you have the ability to give it back. If the wallet has a lot of money in it I think you could take some of it for yourself and just ask them, I am sure they would be grateful they got it back. In my opinion if you find cash on the ground and have no way of giving it back I would keep it of course.
Yes, I would return a lost wallet if I had found it because I would consider that many people work hard to make a living and money helps people to fulfill their wants and needs, which I believe should be respected more in today’s society. I have found a lost keychain with a wallet attached, and without a single look inside i returned it to the security. Keeping a wallet that is found is stealing. I wouldn’t take the money inside because I’d be afraid that the person would know they were short a few dollars, and even if they didn’t, I’d still feel guilty. Even for little things, I can feel guilty when I do something that I know is wrong.
If there was ever a lost wallet on the ground I would make sure to give it back with every single thing in it and maybe if I felt good that day give them a lollipop. I would do that since it is ethical and my parents thought me well. Ethics is focused in one of my favorite shows named “The Good Place” where in the first season ethics is the main lesson of each episode. That is probably why I know a bit about ethics
Headline: Pay Day
Of course I am going to say the wallet would be returned if I came across one. Nobody wakes up thinking I’m gonna keep that wallet. It is in the moment when the thoughts of where that cash could bring you hit. I cannot recall ever finding a lost wallet. I have lost my own wallet many many times. Somehow it always ends up at the front desk of where I was last. I think there are a lot more good people than bad. I find it interesting how these people are able to make stats and find the chances of a wallet being returned with a certain amount of cash in it.
I would definitely return a lost wallet. I most likely wouldn’t open the wallet unless that was the only information I had on the person who had lost their wallet. I wouldn’t be able to stomach my conscious knowing that I took someone's money and personal belongings. Now I'm not saying I wouldn’t hope for a reward. If offered I would kindly decline to make it seem as if I wasn’t expecting a reward but then expect it.
@Alexander Jacaruso I am so glad you would return the wallet. I am with you, after stealing their money, what if they were using that cash to pay for something vital like medicine from somewhere.
If I found a wallet on the ground I would return it because it has so much that is valuable to one person. To start, the person who dropped their wallet most likely worked hard for that money, I think most people wouldn’t feel right spending another’s hard earned money. There is also so much more in a wallet like a license, maybe a gym membership and other important things. I think this is a prime example of treating others the way you’d like to be treated, if you dropped your wallet you would want someone to return it to you. I think this whole situation would give guilt if you didn’t return the wallet because it’s using someone else to better yourself.
I would return a lot wallet because if someone found my wallet I would want them to do the same. Specifically if the wallet had important things like credit cards or someone’s ID i would be more inclined to the return it because those items can be difficult to replace. I think keeping a lost wallet is stealing because it doesn’t belong to the person that found it. Overall when people find valuable items such as these I think it’s best to return them because you should consider how distraught you would be if you lost an item like your wallet and how relieving it would be to have it returned.
If I found a lost wallet I would return it. I don’t care what is in it, I would return it because I know how crappy it feels to lose something important like a wallet. I don’t have a wallet, but I can relate with my bike. In fourth grade I rode my bike to school practically every day. I always locked it on the school bike rack. One day my lock was cut and my bike was stolen, along with my helmet and my saddle bag (containing things to fix a flat). My bike was really important to me, and I felt really bad when it got stolen. So I think that it’s important to return other people’s things no matter what. Even if there’s nothing in it, a lost wallet isn’t yours and if you take it that's stealing.
Yes, I would undoubtedly return a lost wallet. This is so, because something as valuable as a wallet is obviously meaningful to the owner, and if I were put in the situation where my wallet was lost, I would undoubtedly be grateful to have it returned to me. Some other factors that would influence my decision is the psychological aspect of stealing a wallet. If I had the decision to keep or steal something that valuable, I would be extreme guilty keeping it. However, if I returned it I would feel that I did something good, which is an extra incentive to do the right thing.
@Luca
I agree you should always treat people how you would like to be treated, and wallets can be really sentimental to a person. My wallet was from my grandfather who passed and if I lost it I would really hope someone returned it. My mom once found a wallet. She returned the wallet after she noticed it was full of money. My mom was happy with herself because of her good deeds.
@Luca
I agree with you because the wallet contains all their valuable things and if the wallet is lost they would have to create new IDs, cards, and they lost all their money. When you find a lost wallet you should return it not keep it because that is like stealing. This is stealing because the money or the wallet is not yours which means you don’t have possession over it; therefore, this can be considered as stealing. Even if there is more than 100 dollars in the wallet you shouldn’t be greedy and selfish to take it and instead you should find a way to return it back to the person who lost their wallet.
@Luca I would also return the wallet to the proper owner. I have never been in the situation my self, but if I was given the opportunity to give something like a wallet I would. It would be interesting to see if people would do the right thing and return them or, take them for themselves. But seeing the statistics it seems that most people would do the right thing and return the lost item. In my opinion, I wouldn't know anyone who would take a wallet.
I have never been given the opportunity to return a lost wallet or something along those lines, but I have lost something and had it not be returned. In my school, we are required to have an ID, and I keep mine on a lanyard, and once on the subway, my ID, as well as my transpass, fell out of my lanyard, and it was not returned to me, even though it literally had my full name, a picture of me and my school on it. I had to pay $5 for a new one and I had to pay for my own subway rides for the rest of the week since it was a Monday. From that experience, I learned that people aren’t always willing to help you and that I should be more mindful about my things.
Yes, I would return a lost wallet if I had found it because I would consider that many people work hard to make a living and money helps people to fulfill their wants and needs, which I believe should be respected more in today’s society. It always upsets me when I hear that someone has proudly found and taken a wallet without trying to find the owner because it reminds me that that money might have been used to put a roof over someone’s head. When it comes to finding money with no owner on the street, while many others may feel comfortable taking it, personally it bothers me and makes me feel guilty. For instance, one time I had found a small amount of money on the street and could not bear to take it, so I had called a friend over instead. Overall, I think that when it comes to finding valuable objects the finder should be responsible and always do the most important thing, always being honest.
I would return any lost wallet I saw. It doesn’t matter what is in it. It reminds me of a movie scene I watched. In the scene, someone having a bad day returned a wallet to another person. In the wallet was a picture drawn by the man’s daughter. The man almost cried in joy when the wallet was returned. Although it was just a movie scene, It shows that you never know what the emotional connections to any of the lost items are.
@Jonah Smith Posner Totally agree! Also stealing is mean and you don’t want to have to deal with a guilty conscience if you were to take a lost wallet. I feel like there really is no debate here because whatever was in the wallet, the person doesn’t deserve to have there belongings taken. Great comment! Have a good day!
@Evelyn I agree with you that stealing is bad. in my opinion, it all depends on the situation that you are in. for example, I have a real-life situation that I was in where my dad found a wallet with like 300 and returned it to the front desk and later we found out that the front desk took 100 of it for himself. This is why you shouldn’t return it if you’re in a place where you think the front desk or the spot you’re returning it is sketchy. You’re always better off with trying your best to find the owner; and give the wallet straight to him.
If I were to find a lost wallet I would give it back to the owner. If it were mine I would hope someone else would do the same. While some may say it is the other persons fault for losing or misplacing it, we all make mistakes. I have found a lost keychain with a wallet attached, and without a single look inside i returned it to the security. Keeping a wallet that is found is stealing.
@alyssa sabatino I totally agree with you. If I were to find a lost wallet, I would give the wallet back to the person who lost it. Returning the wallet to someone is the right thing to do, and maybe you will get a reward out of it. One time, I found someone's wallet, and I gave it back to them. They ended up giving me a little bit of their money because I found their wallet.
@alyssa sabatino I like how you do not hesitate at all. You are so sure to do the right thing, this is very reassuring.
In todays age, you can't trust people. If I found a lost wallet and it had an ID in it so I could return it then I would but not everyone is like that. Knowing me, if I dropped my wallet I would want someone to return it to me untouched. Sometimes people are carrying too many things at once and things fall. It is what it is but not everyone has the same thoughts on returning things like a wallet.
I have found people wallets and returned everyone of them without removing anything from it. It has been from someone missing their pocket/purse to just finding it on the path walk but yet I still decided to return them with what was left in it because for all I know that's all the money that person has.
In todays age, you can't trust people. If I found a lost wallet and it had an ID in it so I could return it then I would but not everyone is like that. Knowing me, if I dropped my wallet I would want someone to return it to me untouched. Sometimes people are carrying too many things at once and things fall. It is what it is but not everyone has the same thoughts on returning things like a wallet.
I have found people wallets and returned everyone of them without removing anything from it. It has been from someone missing their pocket/purse to just finding it on the path walk but yet I still decided to return them with what was left in it because for all I know that's all the money that person has.
If I found a lost wallet and it has some form of identification, my first thought would be to keep it. If it is much too hard to return, though, I might have no choice. I have found lost objects and I have returned them. I haven’t ever found a lost wallet, but I don’t think my actions or the majority’s actions can say what human nature itself is like, since all humans aren’t the same. If I lost something with my contact information and I didn’t get it back, I wouldn’t be surprised nor would I be surprised if I did get it back. I don’t think this proves anything about human nature and doesn’t change anything for me.
This is quite the dilemma because I would want to keep the cash they had but give them back all the personal information, credit cards and drivers licence. I don't think taking the money is the morale thing to do but I feel like if I found a wallet and it had a couple hundred dollars I would take it. I can't speak from experience so I can't say for 100% if this is what I would do but I think it's the most plausible. The problem for me comes with wanting to return all the other things and avoiding the conflict that would come with taking all of that persons cash. I think the best plan of action would be to find the wallet, take all the cash inside and then give the wallet to a local store or other business and let it be their problem. This question really tries to balance greed and laziness with good morals and if somebody found my wallet that I had lost and returned it to me in the same condition I would give them half the cash, because it's not their responsibility to do such services for others and rewarding those services will make them do more.
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@Henry Leonard This is a perfect response. I would pretty much do the same thing. I like how you mentioned a conflict between morals and greed that really caught my attention.
@Henry Leonard I appreciate your take on this topic. I feel like everyone is saying they would take the money or return the wallet as if there are only two extremes that they can choose from and ignoring the stance you took.
As greedy as it may sound, I agree that if I find a wallet, decide to pick it up, and go through the trouble of tracking down whoever it belongs to, I will expect some compensation.
Now, I feel like it'd just be in my own best interests to leave the wallet sitting there and let the person find it on their own, and just focus on my life, but if I pick up a wallet, it's because I'm going to return it, and if I'm returning it, I expect a... "thank you" of sorts.
If I found a lost wallet I probably wouldn’t know what to do with it. I might call the owner to return their wallet, but it also might just sit in my closet forever. If it sat in my closet, I know I probably wouldn’t use the money at first, because I would feel guilty, but after a while I’d probably start to think of that wallet as mine. If I returned it, I wouldn’t take the money because I’d be afraid that the person would know they were short a few dollars, and even if they didn’t, I’d still feel guilty. Even for little things, I can feel guilty when I do something that I know is wrong.
I know this article is meant to be a sort of “wow humanity’s better than I thought” article, but it seems to me like the data might be a little skewed. The study only included about 17,000 wallets in only a few cities in the world. They also gave them to people in places where you would expect the workers to be good, “respectable” people, like police stations, museums, and post offices. I think it’s true that people can sometimes be better than we give them credit for, but in this case, they may not be. Lots of people in this world could use extra money, and lots of people don’t mind taking money from a source they didn’t technically steal from.
To be honest I don't think much needs to be said about other than what I consider two strong factors that come into coming across a lost wallet and the decision of returning it.
If you happen to be someone in the living situation where you don't have financial stability, I can imagine that the person would take the money without question as the extra money would help them financially. And understand there's many red flags and isn't the right thing to do, but you have to think in the eyes of that person as that money was probably that persons last resort. But I think that no matter if you have the money or not, that returning the lost wallet will be given back to you and will reap good benefit for you in whatever way it comes to you and I think the journey of seeing you do good and having it come back too you then realizing that is such a gift life gives to you.
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I definitely would return a wallet if I found it, just because I know that's someones hard earned cash, and it's not fair to take someone else's belongings. But if it's a lost wallet you should still try to return it, even if you just take it to a police station. I have never found a wallet, but I have seen people drop belongings, and I gave them back to the person. I don't think any factors should affect whether you steal the wallet or not, you should return it no matter what.
I personally have never lost anything valuable, but if I did I would hope someone returns it. Looking at the statistics though it's hard to believe that so many people are so selfish. If studies reveal that there might be a better prevention to dishonest behaviors, I think they should try to use them.
But in the end, no matter stranger or enemy, you should be the better and more civil person and do the right thing.
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If I found a wallet, with or without money, I would return it (by finding the authorities or someone in charge). I would want someone to return something that I had lost too. I believe in treating others the way you want to be treated and that good deeds never harmed anyone.
I can understand the reason why 54% of people who found cashless wallets would not return it because they didn’t think the person would care, but I think you shouldn’t speculate by yourself. That wallet could’ve been their favorite or a gift from someone important to them.
People might think that since they lost it, then it means that it wasn’t important to them. I know I’m not the first one to lose or forget something because of certain circumstances.
I was once going home from Atlanta when I lost my phone at the rest stop in the middle of our journey. As a “generation obsessed with technology,” my phone was very important to me. I didn’t even realize it was gone in my sick state until someone texted my dad from my phone.
I think that if you found something that someone had lost, return it. Even if you don’t return it directly to the person, give it to someone who can take care of it like a security guard or an employee. It doesn’t hurt you, and it might help someone recover something important to them.
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I’ve found a wallet recently but there was very little money in it. The wallet was worn down and looks like it wasn’t used by anyone. I also found it in a dirty corner so I thought someone just threw it there because they don't need it. I took the dollar that was in the wallet and put it back where I found it. There was no ID and that was the only thing that was in the wallet so I didn't feel that bad. If a wallet had a lot of money I would probably return it because it’s probably important to that person. If the wallet had a little bit of money in it I would probably take the money or return it if the wallet had an ID and it was easy for me to return. I think I would always return a wallet if I knew who to give it to. I think the study made sense because if a wallet has less money in it then people would think that they wouldn’t need it as much.
@Leonard Vekker, I agree with you about this topic because if you find a wallet that you can clearly figure out that it was abandoned, you should just leave it there. If you would lean to get it, people would think that you are stealing it. People might believe that you are stealing it, but they might not care. The wallet might even be dirty and contaminated. In conclusion, you shouldn't bother to get an abandoned wallet.
Obviously this is an opinionated question and depending on the type of person you are, your answer will vary. Personally, I would return a wallet if it had little or lots of money in it. I have had $20 dollars stolen from me before. That may seem like a little to some people but for me, that’s a lot of money to steal and not feel bad about, and saying it is a “punishment” for the person who lost it is not a really reasonable response. I do not think many people take into account that a person’s wallet they took could have a special meaning or hold a special place in someone’s heart that cannot just be replaced by buying a new one.
In the United States, stealing something over $500 is a felony, so it is your best interest to return the $2000 or hand it in to a high authority. Stealing anything under $500 is a misdemeanor, but that does not give you a valid reason to take it still. Taking someone’s belonging is something selfish and greedy to do, especially if it has value to it.
If I were to find a lost wallet anywhere I would return the wallet right away to whoever's it is. I think that if you were to spend all the money that would be stealing mainly because people worked for that money and now you are just stealing it and spending it on something. There would be no factors going into my decision because I already know that i would return the wallet to its owner.
@Maurice Vetri
I totally agree with you. I believe that people should return wallets if they find it on the ground. When I have a choice on returning the wallet I would return it. It's wrong for people to steal money, and for people get away with it. I don't want to keep a reputation in my mind that says that I am a money stealer. I could never steal a wallet because in the end I would feel guilty. What about you?
I always think it’s always fun to find a lost wallet because, all of a sudden, you’re in control of this situation that someone’s day, even month, could be resting on. With this responsibility, you have an option for an act of kindness.
I have found about a dozen wallets in my life, mostly while traveling or downtown near my house. I love taking the persons ID, looking them up online and putting together the clues to figure out how to best contact them.
I’ve always returned the wallet to their owner, if I was able to. I’ve also always given back all the money I found the wallet with, and have received a money reward. I feel that when someone gets returned their purse or wallet, in that moment they’re just so grateful towards you that they feel extra generous and many times will pay you.
My favorite lost-and-found story was in Tennessee on a road trip with my family where we stopped on a bridge to take a picture of the landscape. I got out of the back seat and looked down to see a nice quality camera. My brother and I, with nothing better to do, looked through all the pictures together and clue by clue, pieced together where this person lived, their name, and because they had taken a picture of an official document, their number. We mailed their camera and returned it safely and got $25 each.
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A lot of the people who say that they would never take any money after finding it lying. I think that there is a difference between there being, and not being an ID. I would take no money from a wallet with no Id in it. If there is no ID, that money is mine. Periodt. Whenever I find a missing wallet, There are usually only ten or fewer dollars in it. I can't bring myself to take any of it. I always return it to the office of wherever I found it, for example, school, dentist, doctor.
A few months ago I was carrying around $47 cash. I left my wallet in the school bathroom, and when I found it, it was empty. I would have been fine if when I found it there was only $40 left, but everything was gone. Even my gift cards. The only thing left was my school ID. Another time I got pick-pocketed $50. It was terrible. People who steal so much money when they easily can return or not steal it are bad people in my opinion.
Deciding to not return a wallet because someone’s race in their ID is not acceptable. First of all, that is extremely racist and rude. Also, the race has nothing to do with it and is stupid to not return the wallet because of their identity.
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If I found I lost wallet I would return it… if it were empty. If it had a couple of dollars in it I would still probably return it. If it had like 20 dollars or more though, I would take half of it then return it. If it had 2,000 dollars in it I definitely wouldn’t return it. I would take the money out then put the wallet right back where I found it. I think if you don’t care enough to keep track of the things you don’t deserve to have them. Having your money “stolen” is just a punishment for losing your wallet. I have lost my wallet 3 times and all three times it had nothing in it but my phone number. None of the wallets were returned. If a wallet has a bunch of IDs and driver’s license and stuff I will return it because it is a pain to have to go get new ones and they aren’t worth keeping. If the person has an LV wallet or something I will take the whole wallet because they probably don’t need it that much. If someone only has 2 dollars in their wallet compared to someone with 1,000 dollars, who do you think needs the money more? The answer is neither of them. I need the money more because as I said before my wallet is empty. I’m very surprised by the study I wonder if it had anything to do with the neighborhoods they put them in. I think rich people are generally more greedy and that’s why they are rich. It tells me that a lot of people don’t value money as much as me.
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@August Russell
Respectfully, if you value money, then you’d know that it’s not okay to steal it. Wallets are valuable and people try to keep track of them, but sometimes they get lost. It doesn’t mean they don’t mean a lot. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they don’t deserve them. You said you lost your wallet three times, so you don’t really deserve them either with that ideology.
Also, saying that someone else probably doesn’t need it that much isn’t an excuse for stealing. Yes, it’s a lost item, but it meant something to somebody, and it isn’t yours. You would have stolen a lost item. Whoever the wallet may belong to, you don’t know them. Just because it has a big or any amount of money in it, you don’t know their situation. My wallet has had big amounts of money in the past just because I was in a new place and I needed a place to store it. Which, is what a wallet is used for. It doesn’t make me rich. It will run out and mine, too, will be empty. Same thing when I have a low amount of money to nothing in my wallet; I’m not poor or in need, I just have the rest in the bank. With all due respect, stealing is stealing. There’s no justification to it, especially not that you need it more because you can never know that for sure. If your wallet wasn’t empty, I feel as thought your views would change because judging by your ideology, you would want it back. You would want the money back just like others. It’s yours and it’s hard earned whether you are rich or poor.
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@August Russell I know that $2000 is a tempting amount, but you wouldn't feel any guilt in taking it? Calling it a "punishment" is still not that reasonable to take it. Also, not all "rich people" are greedy. They did not choose to lose a very important item of theirs, and that does not mean they didn't care. If you take it, you obviously didn't care about their feelings. What if that person's item had a special meaning to them? How would you return it to them and explain to them that you took their item out of greed? All of those things should be thought about before you take their belongings even though you shouldn't have felt the need to take it, even if you were going through a tough financial time.
@August Russell
I have to disagree with your statement that if someone gets their money stolen that they deserved it because that is all wrong. No one deserves to have their belongings taken from them. You mentioned that if someone had a bunch of IDs in there that you wouldn't take it because it would be an inconvenience to them but if they have a decent wallet you would take it only as a convenience for yourself. You say you value money but I think for the wrong reasons.
I would return a lost wallet if I found one, because if it were me I know I would want somebody to give it back. There aren’t really any factors that would influence my decision, I would just do it because I would feel it was the right thing to do. It would bother me to have kept it knowing it belonged to somebody else. I don’t think keeping a lost wallet is stealing, but is dishonest. Stealing is taking it from the person but if they dropped it’s not really your fault. If there is an ID returning it is best, though if there isn’t you should just turn it in.
@Kira Douglas
I completely agree with you in returning a lost wallet. Personally, I would feel morally obligated to either turn the wallet into authorities or the original owner. If money happened to appear within the object, this would only propel me feel inclined enough to make an effort and find the individual who lost his/her wallet. Additionally, I find that being guilty would undoubtedly haunt me for an extended period of time, and I believe that I’d eventually experience karma later on because of it. Ultimately, I’m not shocked in regards to the results from the study in three separate countries, simply because I would do the same.
I am hesitant to put this opinion out on the internet, but I probably would not give it back unless it had anything important in it. This is less out of my want for money and more about laziness. If I don’t know this person, the wallet itself doesn’t contain more than $20, or there is nowhere I could give the wallet in to, I would keep it. If the wallet had over $100 in it, I would also keep it, because I would feel like a sucker if I didn’t. I’ve never lost a wallet before, partially because I don’t use wallets very much. If I did, I would be angry at myself for being careless, and I would want it back but would forget about it eventually. I think humans are all good deep down inside, but society pressures us to be selfish in a way. More and more outside parties are trying to influence us to keep up with this dog eat dog world, and I think the wallet study is a microcosm of the outside world and the day to day.
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@Charlotte G. What if the person who lost their wallet had a precious artifact that their late grandfather had given to them? It's not just about the money, you need to think more about the sentimental value of the wallet. I think it is OK to keep the wallet but only if you have tried your hardest to find the owner, and if there isn't contact information. You would most likely be mad at someone if they didn't give your wallet back, so why would you do the same?
If I found a wallet on the ground without seeing anyone drop it, I would probably return it if there was a lot of money. If there’s a lot of money in the wallet, it is probably more important to the person who lost it than if it was just a few dollars. Also, if there is an ID I would return it because then I will know who it belongs to. Keeping a lost wallet with no ID or name isn’t stealing because you don’t know if it belongs to anybody. If you stole a wallet from someone’s pocket you know that they own it and you are stealing from them.
If I found a lost wallet and I was able to return it, I would. I know how it feels to lose something important and I wouldn’t want someone to feel like that. I don’t think I could deal with the fact that I kept a wallet I could have returned. I have found a wallet on the sidewalk before and didn’t care to keep it. There was important stuff in it and I wanted the person to get it back. I know I made the right decision because she was from out of state and she needed a drivers license to drive home. I have also lost many things myself. I’ve lost my phone, my wallet, and my drawing journal. They were all returned to me and I was genuinely so thankful that they were. Those people were very kind and I appreciate them. I am a little surprised with the outcome of the study. I tend to set the bar very low when it comes to humans. If the bars really low being disappointed is less likely to happen. I think it’s very important for humans to do what is right. Helping people no matter who they are is very important.
@Lilian Personally I cant agree more with the multiple statements you made and I can so easily relate with the fact of guilt that follows with having the personal information following what was in the wallet and the following awareness of the owners emotion contrasting with the emotion of yourself and your statement about keeping that constant relevance of good deeds is something that a lot of people need to be more aware and active on.
I’ve never found one, but if I had found a lost wallet with more then ten dollars, I’d probably return it. especially if it had a large amount of money. Keeping it would give me a guilty conscience, and though I won’t deny I would be tempted to keep it, my morality would probably make me hand it into the nearest authority. However, if I found a wallet with a five-dollar bill or a one-dollar bill, I wouldn’t feel as guilty in keeping the money. I think the amount of money and my morality mostly influence my decision making when I find lost wallets.
This study was really interesting to me, like most other people I was not expecting this outcome out of the experiment. It does make sense though, at the beginning of the article when I just saw the title I thought to myself, of course I would return a lost wallet. I’m sure many other people thought that too. This makes me feel good about humanity and that most people choose to look out for people who have lost money. As I said before I think you should always return a wallet even if there is no money at all. Losing a wallet can stress people out, it is hard to get a new ID or driver's license if something like that is lost. I would consider taking money out of someone else's wallet stealing, so i think you should always try and give it back. Although, returning lost wallets does not seem to be as much of a problem as I thought before reading the article.
If I were to find a wallet even if it did not have any money or anything of real value in it and it had an Id in it I would return it. Firstly an Id costs money to replace and it is such a pain to replace a wallet. Even if the wallet has little intrinsic value it could have emotional value to the person it could be something a deceased relative gave to them and if it was one of the last things you had to remember someone you love you would be very sad. If it had money in it that is more of a reason to give it back because you never know just how much someone might need that money. Keeping a lost wallet is not only stealing but it is morally wrong.
I’m excited to know that most people would choose to return the wallet, even if it had a large amount of cash in it. When I was younger, I was frequently talk the common message of “treat others how you’d want to be treated”. If I lost my wallet, I would want someone to return it, so if I was in that situation I would either return it to the person themselves or give it to a lost and found. Beyond that, there is no easy way to understand how important that wallet can be for someone. That wallet could be extremely important to someone financially. So if you choose to take the money, that other person is automatically losing that money, which could be very important for their livelihood. Thus I think that returning the wallet is just the right thing to do.
Let me start this off by saying the statistics of this experiment definitely surprised me. Not to say that I wouldn't return a lost wallet if I had found one, because I would, but because of the things that I have seen people do. I've been in large cities, small cities, and most people are the same. You'd be surprised how many times I've seen people pick up items such as phones and wallets that clearly don't belong to them, and keep them for themselves. This is the reason I was so surprised that most people were more likely to return a wallet with more money in it.
Personally, I have dropped money more times than I'd like to admit, and generally people see it on the floor or near me and ask me if I had dropped it. But, I have also had an experience where someone picked up a bill I had dropped, (I forget the value) and upon asking me if I was the one who dropped it, someone near me chimed in and said it was theirs. I checked my pockets, and sure enough, I was missing it. The fact that other people do things such as that, just purely for their own personal gain, made me almost shocked to see how many people returned the wallets.
Despite the fact that I have seen people take stuff that does not belong to them and not bother to try and return it, I am glad that the study shows peoples kind nature and integrity is more present than I had thought. It puts a smile on my face to know that there are good people in our world.
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My family always taught me that karma is very, very real. If I found a wallet even with $2000 in it I still would feel compelled to return it. Despite the amount of money a wallet is a personal possession that’s not for you to rifle through. Wallets could contain more than money. They could have family photos or library cards or grocery lists. Someone’s life could be functioning because of what they have in their wallet. And besides the gratitude a person shows when a wallet is returned is better than any amount of money inside.
I would try to return the wallet to its owner. You have to consider the person who just lost that money, and think about how it may matter way more to them than it does to you. Then there’s common decency, I know that if I lost my wallet I would be devastated. If the person was nowhere to be found at the location of the wallet, I would give it to the nearest store and hope that the owner would come back for it. It may be a bit superstitious, but I think that keeping the money will bring bad karma and that everyone should try to do the right thing, even when it doesn’t benefit you.
I think it is comforting to look at the results of the experiments being done within the article. Often I find it hard to believe in the morals of typical strangers since it is not uncommon to hear about packages being stolen from doorsteps, parked cars being hit or scratched and then having no one nearby to own up for damages by the time one returns to their vehicle, and so on. However, it is a breath of fresh air to hear that people usually return wallets with large sums of money in them since it challenges the perception I have of today’s world of how people really only look out for themselves and personal connections. I will not naively believe everyone will do the right thing when push comes to shove, however it is nice to know there is a chance for strangers to be kind when in need.
I would return a lost wallet, even if it had money in it because it is someone else's money and wallet. It would be wrong to take the money because you don't know if the person really needed the money. It could be someone saving up to buy something special. Some factors that came into play with my decision were the person, where they dropped it, and why they would need the money. I think if you kept the wallet that would be stealing because it is the other persons item, they bought it and used it so it is their property.
Whenever I see a lost wallet with lots of money in it, from the way I was taught, I would either return to the owner or turn it in to the front of the place I found it. A couple years ago my mom and I were at a gas station and we found 100 dollars laying right beside the pump my mom was using. I begged her to let us keep the money because it's not everyday that you find 100 dollars on the ground. I told her that they could have dropped it and drove off and not realized. I also argued the point that money doesn't have a specific peoples name on it so we couldn't give it back to the specific person. She told me that the right thing to do was to turn it into the gas station check out in case anyone came back looking for it, and we did.
I was upset at the time but as I grew up I realized that that was the right thing to do. So if I ever do see a wallet or just money on general I will either turn it in or give it the owner.
I was surprised to read that most people returned the wallet when they found it, even if it had almost $100 inside. This was interesting to me, because they could’ve easily taken the cash since you can’t trace it back to the owner like you could with a debit card. I was happy to hear this though, because it shows that people are kind and honest and will think about others before themselves. I have never found a lost wallet before, but if I did I would return it because I wouldn’t be able to not think about the owner feeling worried and looking everywhere for their wallet. I remember a few years ago, my dad dropped his wallet downtown and didn’t realize it until he got home; a man found it and went out of his way to drive the 25 minutes from downtown to my house to personally return it and my dad was so grateful for his kindness. So if I ever found a lost wallet, I would think about that man who returned my dad’s, and how relieved my dad was when he got it.
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I would definitely try to return the wallet. I don’t think that keeping the wallet would be the right thing to do. I don’t know what the person is going through and the money in their wallet could be all that they have. First thing that I would do is to look around to see if anyone is asking around or looking for something. If there isn’t, I would look for a business card or and ID to attempt to contact the person. If I can’t find anything, I would give the wallet to the nearest store or restaurant and hope the person comes back looking for it. I think that technically keeping the wallet isn’t stealing because you didn’t take it from someone you just found it on the ground, like you would fine some loose change, but personally I think that I would give the wallet back
People’s intentions are almost always good. When someone is looking at a wallet on the ground and it is filled with money, people will always want the money inside. A penny found is a penny earned right? But taking that money from someone else feels miserable. Instead of earning that penny, you are taking someone else’s and calling it hard earned. Cohn’s argument of people not wanting to be thieves and looking out for others’ well-being go together. People don’t want to be seen as a villain in any situation, and stealing money is seen as a villainous act to many, and people want others to succeed as well. If people just cared about themselves, then it would not matter how little people wanted to appear villainous. People would take what they found.
People care about others, and that shows with the increasing money left in wallets leading to increasing chances that the wallet would be returned.
@Mason Evans Most people are intent on living a good life. Society tells us what is right and wrong and we try to adhere to those principles. That is why I would return the wallet. Like you said, “taking that money...feels miserable.” Stealing that wallet would make anyone with a good conscious feel miserable inside. Of course, we all want more money but stealing isn’t the best way to go about that. I don’t think it is about not wanting others to succeed because we are motivated mostly by self-interest. Being seen as or feeling like the villain will negatively affect us so we don’t want that to happen. While people do care about others as you said, I think self-interest is a major factor in people being nice to one another.
I am sort of surprised by the results of the experiment; I thought that the ratio would be pretty much even. This study shows that most people are compassionate and honest, and put themselves in other people’s shoes. I think that returning significant items to owners is almost an instinctive thing, like how if your friend lost a loved one, you would be there for them and support them - like a reflex. Human feelings are very complex and multilayered, and no one understands them fully, but we act on them, most of the time for good results, like the findings of this study.
If I found a wallet with money in it, I would try and find the owner or hand it in to the authorities. A bigger amount of cash would make me want to return it more because they lost an extra amount of money and most likely needed it for something important. If there were only a few dollars, it’s not as great of a loss.
I was always taught to pick up the money/wallet and return it to the owner. Just simply ask those around me if it was theirs, then turn it in. There have been many circumstances in which I have used this technique. For example, last fall my friend and I were cheering at an away football game a couple hours away. There was a 5 dollar bill on the ground and it looked like it had fallen out of a man's pocket laying right beside him. My friend's first response was to keep it and use it for hot chocolate because it was so cold, but I told her to ask the man if it was his first. She asked him and he said it was his. He lied. It actually wasn't his. My friend was so upset because I told her to ask first and do the right thing and this man did the complete opposite. I believe in doing the right thing even if not everyone else is. I hope that one day, if i were to drop money/wallet, then someone will be kind enough to return it to me.
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@Allison Coble I agree with what you said about returning cash because you can't be sure it was actually that person's money, and they could just take it. That makes it really hard to make a decision to return the cash, but I think you made the right choice.
I was always taught to pick up the money/wallet and return it to the owner. Just simply ask those around me if it was theirs, then turn it in. There have been many circumstances in which I have used this technique. For example, last fall my friend and I were cheering at an away football game a couple hours away. There was a 5 dollar bill on the ground and it looked like it had fallen out of a man's pocket laying right beside him. My friend's first response was to keep it and use it for hot chocolate because it was so cold, but I told her to ask the man if it was his first. She asked him and he said it was his. He lied. It actually wasn't his. My friend was so upset because I told her to ask first and do the right thing and this man did the complete opposite. I believe in doing the right thing even if not everyone else is. I hope that one day, if i were to drop money/wallet, then someone will be kind enough to return it to me.
For as long as I can remember, my parents have been teaching me to be the best person that I can possibly be. I've learned that the best way to do this is to live by the Golden Rule, "Treat others the way you want to be treated."
During the past few years I have noticed myself becoming nicer and an overall better human being. I believe this all began two Summers ago. My mom, brother and I were taking our dog on a walk around the neighborhood when we passed a neighbor's house. There was over $200 scattered across their front yard. We collected the money and rang the doorbell hoping for an answer. No one answered the door so we brought the money back to our house and tried to figure out how to get the money to them. We ended up getting their phone number from a neighbor but they wouldn't pick up our calls no matter how often we tried.
My brother and I wanted to keep the $200 but our mom wouldn't let us. We begged her for the money and told her about all of the video games we could buy for ourselves with it. She refused to hand the money over to us and told us we would be the ones to return the money back to the resident of the house. The next day, we all walked down to the house with the money in hand. This time, she opened the door and she was elated to see we had returned her money. She told us how she needed it to pay her bills and it had fallen out of her car. I felt so good that I had helped her and it inspired me to do other good deeds.
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I probably would return a lost wallet if I could, meaning if I knew who the person was. If there were no idea or indicator of the person who owned the wallet I may not return it because there is no way I would know who to return it to. I don’t return money I find dollar bills if I didn’t know who dropped it, because it is their fault if they drop money, plus it is sort of like picking up coins you find on the ground. No one returns coins. I would probably return the wallet if it had an ID, but if it didn’t it would be harder to. Keeping a wallet is technically stealing if it has an ID, but if it doesn’t then technically no one has laid claim to the wallet and if you take it you are not taking someones claimed property.
In all honesty, If I found a lost wallet I don’t think I would be intent on returning it back to the owner. Mostly It would be a time issue. If I found it in a shop, I would definitely send it to the front desk. On the other hand, If it was lying in the middle of the street I would probably just leave it. I don’t care enough about a wallet nor the owner to open it and search for the person who lost their wallet. Technically, keeping the wallet would be considered theft by law since you are holding property that is not yours without actively trying to return it.
I’ve never found a wallet before but I have found money before. At school I found $20 before and once outside of a Dave and Busters I found $100. In both events I have kept the money. There really wasn’t any way to give the money back so I spent it. However if there was a wallet with an ID, I don’t think I would have been able to spend that money.
I have never found a lost wallet, but if I did there would be no chance I would take a single penny from it. Some might say finding a wallet is “lucky” or that they were “mean to find it.” And that is definitely not the case. I 100% think taking someone's wallet is stealing, you are taking somebody's property without permission or the right to do so. Like how would you feel if you lost your wallet and somebody just picked it up and just took it. So yes, I would do whatever I need to do to return the wallet back to the owner.
@Bailey Hughes
I agree that just because you find a wallet does not mean you were supposed to find it. Taking that persons money is stealing whether they know it or not so you should definitely find a way to return it.
I think that if I found a lost wallet I would try my best to return it. If there was no way to return it, I would keep the wallet. If you find a lost wallet and there is a way to return it, and you don’t, that is stealing. I think that the majority of people would do the same thing that I would do.
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In the big cities where I grew up, it was never uncommon to find a stray wallet on the sidewalk, and I would be lying if I said that I haven't thought about doing nothing and leaving the wallet on the ground. But, most times I grabbed the wallet and looked around crazily on the busy streets trying to locate the owner of the lost wallet. I know, you may be thinking, " Is she crazy? It would be impossible to find the owner of a wallet on a busy New York Street" And in most cases you are right. However there were about three times where miraculously I did find the owner of that wallet, and was able to return it to them. The look of graciousness and relief on a persons face when they are handed back their wallet is amazing. So I always pick up a lost wallet on the street or wherever, and try to give it back, because even if you don't find the owner, at least you proved your morality and did the right thing in the situation.
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@Watson Pope I agree, returning a wallet proves the humility of you and those around you. It tests you and sees how you will react in this situation, if you keep it or not and how you will handle it. I will do my best to always try and return the wallet to the owner. It is a great thing to do and I encourage everyone to try to do the right thing as well.
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@Watson Pope I agree, returning a wallet proves the humility of you and those around you. It tests you and sees how you will react in this situation, if you keep it or not and how you will handle it. I will do my best to always try and return the wallet to the owner. It is a great thing to do and I encourage everyone to try to do the right thing as well.
@Watson Pope, Or you could take out the money and let someone else return the wallet. The person will still have the same chance to get their wallet back and you can treat yourself to a free lunch. It's a win-win situation. Does some person on the street of New York really need that money? Probably not. They probably work on wall street and have a 2 million dollar apartment. You gotta look out for you.
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I have never found a wallet nor lost a wallet, but I think that I would return the wallet if I found one. I would feel too guilty to keep the money for myself and spend it, and I think a lot of people are like that. I saw this video on YouTube by a person named Mark Rober where he got people to drop 200 wallets across the US and Canada. He tried to make the wallets look as real as possible and have sentimental value to the owner, so that there wouldn’t be a reason for someone to not return it. He ended up getting about two thirds of the wallets back, which I find crazy. There was a phone number in the wallets so that if people found the wallet, they could call the number. Mark interviewed all of the people, and it seemed like nothing specific influenced whether or not people turned in the wallet. The average age of the people that returned the wallets was the average age of a person, most of the people were non-religious, about half of the people were men and half of the people were women, and more. I think that it really shows most people are honest and would return a lost wallet. Also, I think that the more money the wallet had, the more people would be inclined to return it because it would mean a lot more to the owner and you never know how much that money could mean to them.
In conclusion, I would return a lost wallet if I found one, and I think a lot of other people would as well.
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@Brandon Chiem
I like your comment, and I agree that most people would hopefully return a lost wallet. I know that I would return a wallet, and try to find its owner if I were to ever find one.
I think it's important to remember to respect people, no matter who they are; a stranger or not. The video you mentioned showed what it was like to have respect for another human being, either by returning their belongings or feeling as though they didn't need it and keeping it for themselves. I believe that it can be hard to be honest and find respect, but it is necessary in order to be a kind person.
No matter the circumstances, it is never okay to take something that is not yours.
I think one of the most important things in life is respect. You are still able to value a person or thing despite something negative against them. My family has always taught me to value other people so they would never let me take a single penny from that wallet. They have also raised me to believe that taking money from someone was very disrespectful so I couldn't consider taking money from the wallet. If I found a lost wallet I would always return it no matter what is inside. I would always return it because you never know what is important to another person. For me, it does not matter how much cash is in the wallet because for some people, the monet in their wallet is all they have.
@Katherine Lennon I agree with you, taking somebody's lost wallet is definitely not the right thing to do in any scenario. Like you said, what if the money in their wallet is all they have?
@Bailey Hughes, If someone carries their life savings in their wallet then loses it, they don't deserve that life savings. As far as respect goes, it is overrated. You can't respect someone you don't know. You can, however, take the money from someone you don't know.
@August Russell You most certainly can respect somebody you don't know. People make mistakes and misplace things all the time, it's human nature. That doesn't mean that they don't deserve to get it back. I'm sure if you lost something important to you, you would want it back.
Would you return a lost wallet you found? Why or why not? What factors would influence your decision? Is keeping a lost wallet stealing?
Depending on how much money or if there was an ID inside the found wallet would tell me whether to return it or not. If it had an ID in it, I would return it no matter what, if it had less than 20$ with no ID I would keep it, if it had more than 20$ with no ID, I would return it. I think that yes taking a wallet is stealing.
Conversely, have you ever lost a wallet (or something valuable) on the street? If yes, was it returned? How did you feel, whether it was returned or not? How did the experience make you feel about your fellow humans?
I have lost my phone at the Auto Show before and yes someone did return it, they gave it to people working there and they returned it to me. I felt really scared because I thought I had lost it for good. The experience tells me that humans are a kind race that thinks about others.
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@Owen Cheung I have to respectfully disagree, so what if it's less than $20 in the wallet that still gives you no right to take it. That might be the only money that person has. You said “I felt really scared because I thought I had lost it for good” about your phone that you had lost and was returned. Yet you would take money from somebody's wallet? They would probably feel the same way you felt, scared they would never see it again, and they wouldn't when you take it. You also say taking a wallet is stealing... but then go to say you would take it if it had less that $20 in it. So your ok with stealing?
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@Owen Cheung, I disagree. Taking a wallet with less than 20 dollars in it is like hitting someone while they are down. If they only have like 10 dollars then they probably need it. If it has no IDs in it also then I would take it because that probably means it was a kid and it's not even their money. The Important thing is to think about their need for money stacked against your need for money then if you think they need it more return it. Or vice versa.
@Owen Cheung I have to respectfully say that I disagree with what you said. You think that taking a wallet is stealing, yet if there is less than twenty dollars you would take it. Regardless of if there is a ID inside, you should make an effort to return it, not because of how much money is inside. A phone was returned to you at the Auto Show, and you felt grateful that a person had the decency to give it back. I just wanted to comment on this because you contradicted yourself a bit in your statement.
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Would you return a lost wallet you found? Why or why not? What factors would influence your decision? Is keeping a lost wallet stealing?
Yes, I would return a wallet if I found one. Even if it had $200 in it. My parents told me when I was very little that even if I see a penny on the floor that I should not take it, just leave it on the floor. So if it was $200 I would check if the wallet had an ID. If it did, then I would see if that person was still around I would give it back. Then if it did not have an ID, I would ask around if it was someone’s. If everyone said no, then I would turn it into the authorities. If I kept it then I would feel extremely guilty and it wouldn’t feel right.
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Stealing a wallet that you found which isn't yours would obviously be considered stealing. After I read the question I was confused why people would think it is not. However, after I sat down and thought about it I can see why it would be tempting to keep the wallet. A good way to steer yourself away from that baleful thought is to put yourself in that person’s shoes. If you had lost a wallet with a lot of money in it, you would want anyone who found it to return it.
Honestly, I would be tempted to take it, but I don’t do that because I put myself in the person’s perspective. I would be furious if I lost a wallet whether or not it had money. I would feel guilty either way, but it is not morally right.It is immoral to keep something that isn’t yours. Furthermore, the bad deed may come back to you.
I once lost a wallet at my school which didn’t have any money in it; just my ID, insurance card, and other similar cards. After realizing my wallet was lost and having finally accepted my defeat, one of my close friends came to me and handed it to me. Upon opening the wallet I found a pleasant surprise. My friend gave me a $5 bill and a note that read “ you’re kinda broke bro so I gave you this $5 bill.” I thought it was really nice of him and that motivated me to return things that are tempting to take. Just give it back to the true owner, because that good deed might just come back!
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The thing about the study that surprised me the most was that they were actually likely to return the wallet if it had more money in it! I would’ve thought they would keep it for the money because as humans we are generally greedy. It actually makes it seem that humans are better than I originally thought.I usually think that humans are evil greedy murderers of animals, but this study proves that humans aren't as greedy as I had thought.
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I would return a lost wallet I found because it would be respectful and kind towards the person who dropped their wallet as they would get their belongings back. If I kept the wallet it would give me money that I did not earn and would make the original holder sad as they lost their hard earned money. I believe that keeping a lost wallet would be considered stealing because it holds money and other personal belongings that do not belong to you.
I have never lost a wallet or something valuable on the street as I always put the valuable belongings that I plan on bringing with me in a bag so there's a less chance of me losing it.
I have found a wallet before. It was in a classroom, not on the street though. I returned it to the person who had lost it. I was tempted to keep it because it had a lot of money in it, and no ID. I decided that I would ask the people in the classroom if anyone had dropped it and if nobody claimed it, I would keep it. I asked them because I knew that whoever lost the wallet would want it back. The person who dropped it claimed it. I think I made the right decision because I returned the wallet to the person who dropped. If I had kept it for myself, the person who dropped it would have been sad and lost money. Also, it would have been unethical for me not to.
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@Rainer Arendt
good job
Growing up my parents instilled principles in me that help validate my decisions. I would return the wallet without a second thought, it’s the right decision even if the wallet contains a large number of dollars. It’s all about your morals if you expect your wallet to be returned, turning in a wallet you found is the path to take. If you do take the wallet, just think about how worried the person might be. I was taught to never pick up money from the ground no matter what amount it is because it’s not yours.
@Allahyaar Khan The moral aspect you revised of returning a wallet is very accurate!
Even though finding a wallet with money on the sidewalk with no owner around may be tempting, I would return it. The reason I would is because if I lost my wallet, I would be really upset and I would want my belongings returned untouched and I think everyone else would want that too. The results of the test surprised me because I thought the results would be opposite of what they really were. It is comforting to know that more than half would return a wallet with money in it if someone were to lose it.
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Would you return a lost wallet you found? Why or why not? What factors would influence your decision? Is keeping a lost wallet stealing?
Yes I would return a wallet if I found one. Even if it had $200 in it. My parents told me when I was very little that even if I see a penny on the floor that I should not take it, just leave it on the floor. So if it was $200 I would check if the wallet had an ID. If it did, then I would see if that person was still around I would give it back. Then if it did not have an ID, I would ask around if it was someones. If everyone said no, then I would turn it into the authorities. If I kept it then I would feel extremely guilty and it wouldn’t feel
,
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i would return a lost wallet unless it had less than 10 dollars if it had no money I would return it because what would I do with it the reason why I would return it over 10 dollars is because they probably need that money I do think keeping a wallet is steeling if you can give back someones belonging and you do not it is stealing
I honestly think that I would return a wallet even if it did have money in it. I think that I would return a lost wallet because if I had lost my money, I would want it to be returned. I also think that it would be the most ethical thing to do because the person could have really needed that money for something important like rent or food which are needed to survive. I just think that before you think about taking a wallet that was dropped, you should try to put yourself into this scenario and think about how you would want to get your wallet back.
I would return the wallet if there was an id and personal stuff in it. I would return it because who wants to lose identity and get new ones it takes a long time. If there is just money i would still return it because what if that is their last little money for the month to get food and stuff for their house or sum. What if they have kids and they need clothes and stuff for school or sum. That is why i will return the wallet to the owner, I would want someone to return my wallet but it is reality, who will?
While there exists to be validity behind the notion of considering the benefits and punishments when put in a situation to give back a lost wallet or not, I would personally return wallet. From personal experience, the emotions felt when coming to the realization of losing something are not good and therefore I would not want others to experience that stress. The possible benefits from keeping a found wallet are outweighed by the morally correct action of returning the wallet.
I think this is an interesting conclusion and definitely something that went against my pre-existing bias. If I found a wallet on the street, I would definitely return it. There’s a decent expectation of reciprocity and if I lost something, I would definitely want the finder to return it. Recently, we were out skiing in Colorado and the instructor told us about how someone had lost their wallet with $15k in it (why’d you ever need that much, I don’t know) and another instructor had found it. He immediately turned it in. As it turns out, the person who lost the wallet would be with the instructor who found it a week later. Things always have a way of getting back to you and if the instructor had not made the choice to turn it in, things could have gone a lot differently. There’s always a chance to do the right thing.
While people does likely to return the wallet in our modern age, people would not likely to return the wallet when they really needed. In our modern age, our standard of living has been better than ever before. People naturally become nicer since there is less competition; they want to help other people survive as well . When people think about stealing money from the wallet, they would choose not to because they don’t really need that money to survive. However, this would not be the case for countries with poorer economies since people really need the money to survive and live comfortably.
In retrospect, I know the right decision would be to return the wallet. If I lost my wallet, I would become greatly stressed, especially if it had great amounts of money in it. Consequently, I would not be able to work diligently the entire day because my mind would be distracted by the current fate of my lost wallet. Given this, if I found a lost wallet, my empathy for the victim would propel me to take measures to return this wallet. On a different note, I greatly dislike when someone puts an item I lost in the “lost-and-found”. Sometimes I forget my binder in certain classes at school. Eventually, I find it by retracing my steps but if someone were to interfere with this and place my binder in the lost-and-found, I would have no knowledge of it, making it extremely difficult to acquire my binder once again. Applying this same logic, I would try to minimize my interaction with the lost wallet for it may increase the owner’s difficulty of finding it again. However, I must place the wallet in areas such as a lost-and-found for fear that other people who may find the wallet may not be so empathetic. On another topic, based on the article, I feel as if most humans are empathetic towards others. However, not all people are trustworthy, and these are the people who can cause the most havoc in society. If everyone were to trust each other, society would fail because the selfish people would take advantage of everyone, although they may be fewer than the honest people.
@Shiv, I feel like neither you nor anybody else commenting understands why people might steal or take money. although some people steal out of greed a lot steal out of necessity. You said if everybody trusted each other society would fail but I feel like it's already failing. millions are in debt due to student loans and many more are stuck in a cycle of poverty. If you can't get a job cause you've been to jail or have something else wrong. you get get a job and can't make money. This means you got to steal. Most people who steal aren't dishonest they're just dirt poor. Finding a lost wallet and keeping it means a dinner they might not get otherwise.
Morals play a huge part of most of my decisions. I would probably contact the person if there is any information. If not, I’m guessing that I would give it to the authorities nearby. In a video game (that is sort of related to the real world and you play with real players) you have the option to play normally or scam other people until you become rich. (There isn’t actually a button that says scam “player name.” It’s kind of like real scams where they bait you into something nice.) I choose the option to play normally without scamming other people. I actually got scammed in the game before and I know how it feels to lose a lot of progress, so that is probably one of the reasons I don’t do it. Though it sounds weird to compare a real life situation to a video game, the video game kind of simulates your decisions in real life. If you try and scam someone in the video game, chances are you aren’t a good person and probably won’t return a wallet with just a couple bucks.
If I found a wallet on the ground somewhere, I would return it to the person it belongs to because the owner probably needs whatever is inside it. However, if there is a ton of money in it, I wouldn’t take all of it but I would probably take 5 dollars or so because I need money and the owner probably wouldn’t notice if 5 dollars were missing. I have never found a wallet but I have found books and planners around my school and I have always found a name on them and returned them. One time earlier this year, I lost one of my books and my friend found it and returned it to me. The statistics kind of surprised me because I know that there are many more good people in the world than there are bad, but I am surprised that the more money there is in the wallet, the better the chances of a person returning the wallet.
I don’t often find wallets on the ground, but when I do, I pick it up and try to find the nearest security guard/police officer to give it to. It is tempting to look inside the wallet or take something, but it helps me to remember what it is like to lose a wallet. I’m constantly losing my wallet, so I know how it feels to worry about whether or not you’ll find it again, or if someone will steal from it.
I have never found a wallet on the side of the street or anywhere without knowing who the owner was. Though if I had, knowing myself I would be tempted to keep it, especially if there is a high quantity of money. I remember in first grade I was at the book fair and I saw my classmate's wallet fall out of his pocket. I picked it up and noticed there was 70 dollars in it. I only had two dollars so without really thinking I took thirty dollars out of it and gave it back to him. I realize now that taking money out of a wallet is considered stealing and would not do it again if I were put in a similar situation today. If I found a wallet in a store today I would hand it over to the nearest official or try and track down the person myself. It's the ethical thing to do and I know that if I lost my wallet I would want someone to do the same for me.
One day when my family went to the park, we started playing with soccer and frisbee and all of a sudden I tripped over something in the grass. The grass was about ankle high so it took me a while, but I figured out what I tripped over was a wallet. I immediately told my parents and we saw that the name of the person belonged to and how much money they had. They had about $80. My family values respect as much as anything else, so they wouldn’t let me nor my sister take a single penny from that wallet. They have also raised me to believe that taking money from someone was very disrespectful so I didn’t even give thought into taking money from the wallet. What my family decided to do with the wallet was run around the large park looking for the man on the driver’s license. We couldn’t find him and didn’t want to ask people if they knew him in case they took the money for themselves. What my family did was search for contact information on the man because the wallet seemed to be very valuable to him. It had a picture of his wife and kids, a credit card, and much more. Somewhere in the wallet we found a phone number and called it. Luckily, it was the man who lost his wallet and I’m not sure how, but I think either he came to pick up his wallet from our house or my parents dropped the wallet off at his house when they were going somewhere on the way.
I once left my wallet in a store somebody store all the money out of it and left. It was devastating and was surprised that someone even had the audacity to do that. I would never take anybody’s wallet because I know how it feels and it is not a good feeling. I would try to find the owner or give it to a police officer. You don’t know the economic situation of the owner of the wallet, the things in the wallet could be all they have. People who steal money should step inside of the shoes of the person they stole the money from. You don’t know the person, and you don’t have anything against them, so why do something bad to them that could potentially ruin their lives.
I once left my wallet in a store somebody store all the money out of it and left. It was devastating and was surprised that someone even dared to do that. I would never take anybody’s wallet because I know how it feels and it is not a good feeling. I would try to find the owner or give it to a police officer. You don’t know the economic situation of the owner of the wallet, the things in the wallet could be all they have. People who steal money should step inside of the shoes of the person they stole the money from. You don’t know the person, and you don’t have anything against them, so why do something bad to them that could potentially ruin their lives.
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I would return a wallet if I found one. I would do this because I believe that you should treat others how you want to be treated. So if I found someone's wallet I would try to give it back.I think that keeping a lost wallet is stealing because the wallet belongs to someone, but they lost it.
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I would return a wallet if it’s near/in the school, otherwise I just leave it be. I’m the type of person who doesn’t touch random things outside because I don’t know where it’s been. Just like a wallet, I’d leave it be and just continue walking to my destination. If I find a wallet inside the school, I check for the ID and if I know that person, I’ll return it. Otherwise, I put it either in the lost & found or drop it off by the main office. I did find a wallet in the school library once and it was my classmate’s wallet. The bell just rang so everyone was in a hurry. When I got to the classroom, I gave it back to her saying that she left it in the library. She thanked me and I felt good after that. Conversely, I did “lose” a wallet that had about $50 in it. I thought I left it at the place that I was competing for gymnastics but in reality, I left it in a secret pocket of my bag. But otherwise, I don’t think I’ve lost anything else that was valuable to me. My mom has always taught me the golden rule: do to others as you would have them do to you. I believe that many people think of themselves in that situation. I don’t want people stealing money from me, so I don’t want to steal money from them.
1
I will always return a lost wallet. I think it is the right thing to do. I have lost many walets before and a lot of cash so I know what it feels like to have money and possesions lost. I will return a wallet no matter how much money or what is in it. I once found a lanyard on the street with only a business card and a Septa key which only cost $5. I called the business card and the wallet was returned. No factors influnce my decision, it is the right thing to do. I think that in a sense, taking a wallet can be considered not stealing but the definition of stealing is to take somebody's personal property without asking and when you take somebody's wallet, that is exactly what you are doing.
3
@Adah D'Alba
I agree that it is the right thing to do when you see something that seems lost,to return it. I too have lost a couple wallets in my life so I know what it's like to know I've misplaced something.
For me, returning a wallet is a simple decision. I would return the wallet no matter what the quantity of cash is. This comes from knowing that there is always a possibility of being filmed by John Quiñones (the host of the ABC show, What Would You Do?). There is always that “one guy” who does the “wrong” thing and everyone thinks he’s a terrible person because keeping a lost wallet is considered stealing. I would not want to be that “one guy” who gets looked down upon. Therefore, if I take the lost wallet, the situation would be very awkward if I find out that I’m on the show. If I am not on the show, then I am still a good person because I made the right decision. Either way, I am still a considerate person.
1
If I found a lost wallet I would always return it no matter what is inside. I would always return it because you never know what is important to another person. For me, it does not matter how much cash is in the wallet because a person may plan to buy something important. If someone took that away from them it could affect the rest of their lives. You can never completely understand the goals or purposes of a stranger so you should never take things from them even if they seem like they are rich. One time, I lost a portfolio which included a lot of school papers. I do not remember how I could possibly lose it, but it was never found. The findings of the study revealed in the article surprised me. I think that if there was money in a wallet, someone would be more likely to keep it rather than return it.
1
I would return the wallet to the owner if there was an ID inside of it. If there was no ID, I would just return it to the nearest police station. No matter how tempted I am, I would never steal a wallet, nor steal the money. It is not humane and nobody should do that. I have never encountered a lost wallet or a lost valuable, but this is just common sense. You should leave people’s valuables and possessions alone.
1
I have never found a lost wallet, but if I had, I would hand it into the proper authorities without taking anything, even if there was a lot of money. I think that I wouldn’t steal anything because the person may really need it, and also I would consider it stealing. I hate sinning because even though it’s human nature to sin, it doesn’t feel very good afterward. It would weigh heavily in my heart, even if I never knew the people. I was surprised about the findings because I never really thought of the majority of humans as considerate. In my grade, most people are quite selfish and try to hog everything for themselves. The report shows that people are actually considerate when they want to be. I think that people should try to be as considerate as possible at all times, but still feel comfortable doing it.
2
If I encountered a lost wallet, I would definitely try my hardest to find the owner. If I couldn’t find the owner and the wallet had identification inside, I would turn it in to the city. I could only imagine what I would feel like if I lost my wallet, so I wouldn’t want anyone else to have those same feelings. Even if I decided to take the wallet for myself, I wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt that would come along with that decision and I would have to turn it in somewhere.
If I found a lost wallet I would return it as long as it had ID. It does not matter how much money is in it. If it does not have an ID though, then it is mine to keep. I have never found a lost wallet but I have watched money fall out of someone's pocket and then returned it but that is the closest I have ever been to finding a lost wallet. I have lost my wallet once and thankfully it got returned within like 5 minutes. I also am not surprised that the more money there is in a wallet the more likely it is to be returned. People are naturally lazy but they probably feel more empathetic if they see there is more money in the wallet. People seem to naturally want to help others. There are areas in the world where a lost wallet would never be returned but I believe in the good of humanity so I was not surprised to see that more often than there is a better chance of someone returning a wallet if there is more money in it.
When I think about the thought of losing something extremely valuable like a wallet it gives me an extreme sense of fear. Within a wallet is someone’s information, money, and valuable possessions. Finding a wallet on the ground makes me think about the person that lost it and how they must fell when they realize that their wallet is missing. Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to attempt to return the wallet and all of the possessions inside. Recently, my family came across a stray wallet on vacation, we immediately attempted to contact the person and eventually went out of our way to take it to the local police station. I don’t want that to be considered as an act of kindness, it should be every single humans responsibility to return something that is not rightfully theres. When we look out for each other the world begins to become a better place. How would you feel if you lost something extremely important or valuable to you and find out a random stranger returned it? It is something no matter your financial situation you should do. People should really start to think more about others than themselves.
If I found a lost wallet on the street, I would not think twice about returning it to its owner. Even if the wallet has money, I wouldn’t be tempted to keep it. I didn’t earn that money, nor is anything in their wallet my property or worth taking. I also like to think about it in the way that what if the shoe were on the other foot. What if I had lost my wallet with my credit/debit cards, my drivers license, and 50 bucks cash. I would definitely want it back along with the money that it contained. So, if someone ever lost theirs, I would definitely return it, because I know that that’s what I would want someone else to do if it ever happened to me.
If I found a lost wallet, I would definitely try my hardest to return it. Of course, I would be tempted to take the money if there is any, but it would just make me think back to all the times I've lost something important to me and have had the luck of someone returning it to me. Even when it's me returning a lost item to someone, I feel how relieved and happy they are to have it back. I would much rather help somebody else have a good day than spend money/use things that do not belong to me.
If I found a lost wallet on the street, I would try to return it. Most of the time that is people’s hard-earned money, and they deserve to get it back. Also, I would be distraught if I lost my wallet and someone didn’t return it. If they have paperwork in their wallet like their driver’s license, it is not that hard to reach out to them and tell them you have their wallet. Also, if you lose your driver’s license and other stuff, it can often take a long time to get a replacement to you should try to return the wallet. Keeping a lost wallet is technically not stealing, but it is not right morally or ethically.
If I found a lost wallet with an ID and no money, why would I keep it? Also, why would someone buy a wallet if they didn’t put any money in it. If there was a wallet with just a $20 bill, I’d give it back because taking the twenty would be too noticeable. But if it was $20 in ones, I’d take some as punishment for somebody losing their wallet. If there was 2,000 big ones, though, for sure I’d take that wallet for myself. If you have lots of money in your wallet, don’t lose it, because I will take all the money.
@Leonardo Gagliardi I think that's entirely the wrong attitude and here's why. This summer, we were at soccer camp preparing for the upcoming season. We were running together around a field to get our legs warm and one guy suddenly stepped out of line, stopped, and picked up a one hundred dollar bill from the mud. Everyone started shouting and the one who picked up the money adamantly told everyone he would be keeping the money because "its mine, I found it so you guys don't get any." Well, once we were done with our warm up, the coaches called us over and revealed that the money we had found really belonged to them. The thing was, the guy who found them money never had any intention of returning it. Our coach told him, “You never know who that money belongs to. It could be the last hundred dollars an old lady who’s trying to feed her kids has. It could be the only money that a father has left to buy his sick child medicine with. It could be the difference between someone paying their rent or evicted from their home and living on the streets.” I wasn’t the one who picked that money up but what my coach told us was powerful. You never know what that money could mean to someone. You never know what a difference just a few dollars could make. That’s why if you ever find a wallet, always, always return it.
5
I would return someone’s wallet I found on the ground if there was a way to return it. If it had an I.D. I would return it. If the wallet had a large amount of money, I would still try to return it. That’s just my take on it. Everyone has different reasons for doing something. I can see if a broke college student found 10 dollars in a wallet and kept it to buy food for that day, but if you are rich and you steal a wallet with money on the ground, what's the point. Someone else could have used the money for a better cause but you are willing to take it even though you have more than enough money? I’d say keeping a wallet is stealing if there was a way to get it back to the owner of the wallet. If there was no I.D. or number you could call, someone else would have taken it for their own needs/wants. If you are broke and you take a wallet with money for your needs not your wants, I can understand that, and I think only a small punishment should be distributed.
I think you should always return a wallet if it has identification. Even if it has just 5 dollars, you don’t know what the person’s economic status is, and I think it would be rather horrific to assume their wealth based off their ID photo or otherwise. It’s not so much about returning money or expecting a reward, however. Whenever I do a good deed, I feel really happy and it puts a filter of light over everything I do. Whenever I lose something, I feel terrible. Returning a wallet not only would make the other person happy, but it affects both of you positively and then both of you are more likely to do another kind deed. Kindness is like a tree that never stops growing, but all comes from one seed.
If I found a lost wallet, the amount of money inside will not tempt me to keep the wallet. If there is any type of ID in the wallet, I would contact the owner and return the wallet. If I keep the wallet I will probably feel, and continue to feel, guilt. You don’t know how much that person needs the wallet or the money inside of it and you don’t know how hard they might have worked to earn that money. I think you should put yourself in their shoes. There was a time where a person I know had their wallet stolen but they didn’t feel anger toward the person who stole it. They did feel sad that their wallet was stolen but they said that the person must have been very desperate to steal a wallet and that hopefully things get better for them.
If I found someone's lost wallet on the ground I would probably return it. I would because I would think about how much they would need it then I would think about what if this was their rent or something like then I would feel bad for having it then I would give it back. Also, keeping a lost wallet is stealing because you're basically taking someone's money away from them when you have the ability to give it back.
I would return the wallet if there was some sort of identification inside and/or there were credit cards. I'd also return it if there was cash amounting to more than 15 dollars. If I didn't return the wallet, I'd have an overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame. I have lost things over the years, mainly at school. I try my luck at lost and found but often return empty-handed. Not everyone's moral compass is the same and everybody has a reason for the choices they make. For these reasons, it's stupid to assume that human nature is "good" or "bad". People do what is right (or wrong) at that moment. I like to believe people are born with a clean slate and it's their environment that influences these decisions.