OWL-DRAGON

Civil Society

The other morning while walking Max I found a driver’s license. Contacted the owner and made arrangements for him to pick it up. He was somewhat chagrined. He had stopped to get gas and left his wallet on the pump. He had only gone a short distance when he realized he had forgotten his wallet but when he went back it was already gone. He quickly cancelled the cards and it’s doubtful taking the wallet much benefited the thief. (Although he will have to worry about identity theft.) His biggest regret was the photos of his children.

Last week in the midst of the power failures we had good news. Society generally remained civil. In my own neighborhood I generally feel very safe (even to the point of not always locking cars doors, etc. – and I notice lots of the neighborhood kids don’t always bring their bikes in). Yet as the wallet incident shows you can’t depend on people’s honesty. In fact it is quite foolish to expect it. Someone had the option of doing a good deed and returning the wallet or doing evil and taking it. Yet wouldn't it be nice if only we could depend on someone returning the wallet.

Doesn’t this small incident illustrate all the issues of how we conduct ourselves in this world? Do you choose to do good or evil? Is the wallet thief just a smaller version of the murderer who entered a bus in Israel and killed children?

Philosophers, psychologists and sociologist may argue over free will but at the end of the day you have the choice to return the wallet or do evil.

But wouldn’t all the world be better if we always did return the wallet?