Archive for February, 2007
In a networking event last night, I met a person who told me about an experiment that tested people’s honesty and highly recommended that I read the results. Based on this study and his own experience, he truly believes that most people are honest when given the opportunity.
So I decided to find the results of this test and see what it was all about. The experiment is called Wallet Test. What they did was to drop 100 identical wallets containing $2.10, a fake $50 gift certificate, some miscellaneous items and an ID card with the owner’s contact information. Hidden cameras then recorded the actions of each one of the finders and the data was compiled with the results. In case you were wondering where the study took place, it was in Belleville, Illinois which they consider “a medium-sized American city”. They also claim in their study that all the samples were random.
Ok, now that I’ve set the stage, you probably want to know just how many people did return the wallets. The results they compiled found that 74% of people were honest and returned the wallets they found. As a side note, let me just clarify that I am not endorsing this study or its scientific validity. I do think it is an interesting experiment about honesty and I am encouraged to find, based on their experiment, that honest people outnumber dishonest people 3 to 1.
I couldn’t resist making an additional point regarding the importance of an ID card or some kind of form of identification. As honest as a person might be, if they find an item in the street without any kind of identification, it is virtually impossible for them to return it it to its rightful owner.
(Chart Wallet Test)
February 1st, 2007
In the past, if you wanted to report something lost or found you were probably limited to your community. It was very common to see lost-dog or found-cat printouts on many light posts. Unfortunately, the reach was limited to a geographic area. The Internet has completely removed these geographic boundaries, and thanks to technology, communication has forever changed the way we communicate with others. With the click of a button, I can instantly be connected to millions of people on the other side of the world via e-mail, a blog or a forum. I can even be connected real-time with almost anyone in the world in a chat session, an Internet call or even by video, thanks to services like Skype. The greatest part is that it’s virtually free (it may cost you to connect to the Internet). This new-found power of communication has encouraged many people to use technology for doing good and making every effort to be honest.
Dozens of message boards on the Internet are filled with postings by honest people reporting having found someone’s valuables. In fact, according to an article by Andrew Ryan of the Associated Press, these posted reports include found cash, bank cards, diamond bracelets, engagement rings, wedding bands, digital cameras and even a cockatoo valued at $1,200. In his article, Ryan writes about a woman who lost her iPod during her daily commute. Her boyfriend tried to comfort her by suggesting using Craigslist’s lost and found section. Within 24 hours she had her iPod back, thanks to this free message board and the honesty of the person who found it.
Now with half of the U.S. population online, over 154 million people, according to an article on Forbes.com, being honest is easier and more convenient than ever. A few minutes out of my time could mean the world to the person that lost a valued item, and who knows, some day it might be me checking a message board hoping to find that someone took a few minutes out of their time to be honest.
(Photo Aaron Logan)
February 5th, 2007
One of our readers sent in this story about how an honest person contacted him in order to return a cell phone she found.
I had a funny instance when some woman in NY found a guy’s cell phone that he left in a cab. It had my number in the memory, so she called me in Atlanta to try and figure out whose phone it was up in NY. Ended up being a co-worker in my NY office, so I gave here the address over there and she dropped off the phone for the guy. Not just honesty, but some hard work to find the rightful owner!
Sent in by Brian Simmons
February 6th, 2007
One of our readers sent in this inspiring story about his son’s honesty. It illustrates the difficult decisions and choices we often face no matter what age we are.
When my son was 9, he was in a martial arts class where they play dodge ball as a warm up. One night after practice as I was tucking him into bed, he began to cry. I asked what was wrong and he told me that while playing dodge ball, he had been grazed by the ball but it was so light that he denied it and the kids believed him. He told me that he felt bad about it, but what made it worse was that at the end of the game, he was the last one standing and he was awarded a free snack and drink. He said he couldn’t even eat the snack because he felt so bad. He promised to never do it again and I told him it was ok to be tempted; everyone is at one time or another. The important thing is that the reward is and should be a lot less satisfying than doing the right thing to begin with.
Ok, I do think my boy is wonderful but don’t you wish everyone had a sense of right and wrong like that!
Sent in by Bill Morgan
February 7th, 2007
Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, so I thought it would be appropriate to tell an honesty story about this great President. As a quick history brush-up, Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky on February 12, 1809. Years later (1861), he would become the 16th President of The United States of America. One of the greatest achievements of his presidency was the abolishment of slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation in 1963.
When I was in middle-school, I heard an inspiring story about Honest “Abe” that to this day I still remember. I am sure several of you also heard this story in school. The story took place during Abraham Lincoln’s early-teenage years while he was working as a store clerk. It is said that he accidentally overcharged a customer a few extra cents because the scale was not working properly. When he realized the mistake, it was too late, and the customer had already left. He knew the right thing was to return the cents to the customer, so he decided to close the store and go find the customer. At that time, he couldn’t just jump into a car and drive over there like are able to do today. Instead, it is said that Abraham Lincoln walked several miles to the customer’s house and returned those cents.
We can all draw inspiration from the honesty of this young-store clerk that would later become one of the greatest Presidents of The United States of America. He truly was a man of principle, whose honesty and good deeds were evident in his actions.
February 12th, 2007
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