The temptation to keep the money was almost overwhelming, he said. Then, his conscience kicked in.
"The reality set in that it wasn't my money and it needed to be turned over," he said.
Inside the backpack was a flashdrive with a resume belonging to Bryan Belanger, a student at Arizona State University and the owner of the backpack:
"It's humbling, and it puts things into perspective," Belanger said of Talley's decision. "From his point of view, he could've taken care of himself by paying for rent or something with that money."
Link | Photo: ABC 15
Yeah, it's obvious you didn't read the article and just commented on the blurb.
From the article:
"There are countless things a man like Talley could have done with the money. A recovering drug addict, Talley lives in a system of shelters run by the Tempe Community Action Agency. He's trying to get back on his feet, juggling volunteering at the agency with part-time work.
That weekend, his bicycle - his only mode of transportation - needed to be fixed, a major expense."
And even if he did want to avoid taking responsibility, why would he give all that money up? Just think of all the booze and drugs he could buy with all that cash!
Why can't it be possible that a person who made some life changing mistakes in the past has a conscience?
I didn't expect a reward and wouldn't have accepted it if he offered (even though I'm an unemployed student with a huge student loan) because I would have hoped that anyone would offer me the same courtesy if my wallet was lost.
I really can't even conceive of keeping money that belongs to someone else. The guilt would consume me.