It's pretty much a clichéd staple of crime fiction. The lure of easy "found" money. The ethical dilemma. Would you take it if you could get away with it? The found suitcase. The accidental discovery. The hidden treasure unearthed without attached malice. Yesterday, I met someone who believed they would not take the money under any advantageous circumstance. Even with every caveat and scenario of getting away with it I presented...they were firm in their affirmation of no. Of course this person was of advanced age and swore up and down that they had everything they needed, that money only causes problems (my fictional point exactly) so I changed my tactics. What if you could help others anonymously with the found money? What if a big pile of cash could save someone's life, would you feel justified in taking it? It gave them pause, but again they said they wouldn't because it was against their beliefs. I didn't believe them. Not to besmirch their "faith" or "character" but I just believe greed is a stain of our nature. A survival instinct. The dark engine essence and the real echo from the garden. Makes for good reading, right? And why? It's the black cloud that we can never outrun. Ever. Onward.
4/18/12
We're All Liars
It's pretty much a clichéd staple of crime fiction. The lure of easy "found" money. The ethical dilemma. Would you take it if you could get away with it? The found suitcase. The accidental discovery. The hidden treasure unearthed without attached malice. Yesterday, I met someone who believed they would not take the money under any advantageous circumstance. Even with every caveat and scenario of getting away with it I presented...they were firm in their affirmation of no. Of course this person was of advanced age and swore up and down that they had everything they needed, that money only causes problems (my fictional point exactly) so I changed my tactics. What if you could help others anonymously with the found money? What if a big pile of cash could save someone's life, would you feel justified in taking it? It gave them pause, but again they said they wouldn't because it was against their beliefs. I didn't believe them. Not to besmirch their "faith" or "character" but I just believe greed is a stain of our nature. A survival instinct. The dark engine essence and the real echo from the garden. Makes for good reading, right? And why? It's the black cloud that we can never outrun. Ever. Onward.
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The closest to "found money" I came upon was a pair of rings in a parking lot, one with a large diamond. I turned them in and received a $20 reward. This happened twenty years ago, and I was in college, so that was a nice boon. Of course, the idea of pawning them had come to mind. And my boss's daughter said I was stupid for turning them in, so I guess I know what she would have done.
When I worked on the docks, I had daydreams of finding a bag of mob cash, but the dream always ended badly.
I believe I've found money a few times, like a twenty or maybe a fifty. No big shakes. It was in the city more than likely, and I think I just bought some food. My mother found some squirreled away "mad money"in her antique buying days....
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