Dave Talley, a homeless man who lives in Tempe, Arizona, found a backpack containing $3,300 in cash. He turned it into a local social services agency:
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:
Link | Photo: ABC 15
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
Yea, I'm not buying this. :)
1) Why a student has that much cash in his backpack. (There are legitimate reasons; but I'd suspect he was in a cash-only business, as well.)
2) why intent matters to so many readers, when witnessing a good deed? Regardless of the reason, the returner did a good thing. Whether there was some hidden agenda speaks to how impressive it is he did a good thing. But it's a good thing, regardless.
(I'm not skeptical of all, personally. I realize that only a small fraction of the population would return it...but...well, I would. And the fact that so many of you think that's weird makes me sad.
hmmmm....
"I realize that only a small fraction of the population would return it...but...well, I would. And the fact that so many of you think that's weird makes me sad."
I think you'd be surprised, really, at just how many people would return it. I'd peg it somewhere around 30-40%.
I once left my purse on the roof of my car and drove away. It fell off at a busy intersection where a man in a blue truck picked it up. Several people who saw it happen called into the radio stations and reported what had happened and gave the DJs the license plate number of the truck in the hopes that I could get it back.
The man in the blue truck had driven my purse directly to the nearest police station anyway. Everything was intact.
I believe that more people are kind than otherwise.
What a good guy!
I think it's great to hear about something so positive, regardless of how rare or widespread it may be.
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.
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?