Do you think most folk are kind and honest?

yes I do.

I left my purse in a local Oxfam Shop once. Had cards in. They googled me and phoned the School, where I was working.
I had not even missed it at that time.
My daughter lost her phone at a music festival, person who found it phoned me (Mum) and handed it in. I then phoned her friend, and she got her phone back.
More kind and honest than not, I guess.

I was shopping at a mall in Puerto Rico, loaded down with bags. I went to pay for something in a candle shop, no wallet! My first reaction was that I had been the victim of a pickpocket. Then I thought I would return to the last shop I had been in on the off chance I had left it there. The girl had found it and taken it to security upstairs. I went up to reclaim it and both cash and cards were still there. She could have turned it in without the cash but she didn't and it would have been my word against hers. I went to the Lady Godiva chocolate shop and bought her a nice box of chocolates.

MaggsMcG the reason I put my comment because I had just finished listening to a lying Johnson and I was fuming, yes fuming so that was what was on my mind.
In real life I believe nearly everyone is moral and decent, I have had my purse returned quite a few times and even two bags of shopping that I left at the bus shop. Luckily I was only going 3 stops up a big hill,

I think even if only one person is honest and kind in this dark world, it’s enough for me. And I do believe in Karma. If you treat the world and others badly, it will come back to bite you. If you are honest and fair, you will be treated so (mainly!).

Yes I do but an opportunity to just keep someone else's money/phone/jewellery can be hard to resist for many.

I think most people mostly are. I think everyone has their negative moments, usually because of problems of their own. Sadly I think the bad apples that are in the minority can cause a disproportionate amount of pain for others.

Sadly, there are stories of looting and stealing from bombed houses during the war. There are even accounts of the members of the emergency services stealing from corpses. This was featured in an episode of Foyle’s war, fictitious in this case but in reality there were hundreds of others

I had a purse once that was nicknamed 'boomerang'. by the rest of the staff. It was returned from many places. Among them from a phone in Belfast airport, and from deep countyside in Derbyshire.
Sadly it was stolen in a charity shop in my local town.

Red1
i think it depends on upbringing
A bit of a sweeping statement. I personally can put the lie to that

Has to be one, cos the opposition are soooo honest, which is why 5 of them are now convicted criminals.
Most people are generally honest

My son took ill at Kuala Lumpur Airport. A lot of people helped him and he made his flight to Australia. However he went straight to hospital on arrival. A few days later he realised his wallet was missing. The nurse explained they'd found it tucked into his sock. One of the helpers the airport had hidden it for him!

Wow, inishowen, that's wonderful.

I can only think of one person I know who is not completely honest . I think you work out pretty quickly who dishonest people are. The funny thing is, they don’t realise that it is writ large in almost everything they say and do. If this person comes to our house I lock stuff away. They happen to also be very amusing and I have known them for many years.

I worked with the general public and found that most people are honest. The odd bit of dishonesty but I still have faith in peoples' goodness.
I was massively let down once (lost my house because of it ) but the kindness of those who helped me afterwards will stay with me always.
The balance is with good and honest people.

My father in law died three weeks ago. He was taken to hospital by ambulance, but went into cardiac arrest five minutes after arrival and didn't survive. Due to Covid rules, DH had not been allowed into the hospital with him, so FiL's body was left alone in a side room for half an hour until DH got there.
FiL constantly wore a gold neck chain, a copper (rheumatism) bangle, my late MiL's wedding ring, (little finger, right hand) and his own wedding ring, which was a large, very chunky, very expensive signet ring.
When DH saw him, he was wearing the gold neck chain and the copper bangle, both rings were missing.
DH was told to ring the Bereavement services office the following morning, MiL's wedding ring was there, but FiL's ring was nowhere to be seen!
We have checked the CCTV from the apartment building he lived in, and he is clearly wearing both rings as he is taken through the exit doors and to the ambulance!
I'd love to know where it went and am not going to stop making a nuisance of myself at the hospital just yet.
DH would dearly love to have FiL's ring back, he'd worn it for almost 67years and no-one else has a right to have it!
I'm not happy at all about it just vanishing, and am certain that someone saw their chance and lifted it!

Some years ago, on a train in Spain, an English woman approached DH and I and asked if we could lend her money to pay for a ticket when the inspector came, as she had just discovered that she’d lost her purse. She asked us because she’d heard us speaking English. I gave her the cash ( not a huge amount ), and she took my details so that she could send me a cheque - which she did. When I told a friend, who is generally a helpful and empathetic person, about this, she said that she wouldn’t have helped seeing as it involved money. That surprised me.

Yes, I do think that most people are honest. However, I do strongly feel that we need to be sensible and not just go through life like some Polyanna leaving our doors open, etc. I had a shock years ago when I invited my work colleagues around for pre-Christmas drinks and it was only a day or so afterwards that I realised a piece of my jewellery was missing. I've never seen it since - searched high and low (although I knew very well where it was always stored). No idea who took it and never got it back. (It also soured my relations with all of them as I just didn't know who had taken it). These days I give everyone the benefit of the doubt BUT if expecting visitors, anything of value is stored safely away (no point in tempting fate??)

Germanshepherdsmum

I think most are but we tend only to hear about the others.

The evil men do lives on, the good is oft interred with their bones, apologies to Shakespeare for inaccuracies but you get the idea! I used to always tell my form, 15/16 year olds that is they mugged someone it would make the front page, if they helped someone no-one would mention it. All sad, but true.

Yes I do think the majority of people are kind caring and honest but unfortunately the media just focus on the bad things in life a week with a complete media blackout would be the very best thing to happen to the world

katy1950

Yes I do think the majority of people are kind caring and honest but unfortunately the media just focus on the bad things in life a week with a complete media blackout would be the very best thing to happen to the world

There used to be a saying 'Good news is no news'

Juggernaut

My father in law died three weeks ago. He was taken to hospital by ambulance, but went into cardiac arrest five minutes after arrival and didn't survive. Due to Covid rules, DH had not been allowed into the hospital with him, so FiL's body was left alone in a side room for half an hour until DH got there.
FiL constantly wore a gold neck chain, a copper (rheumatism) bangle, my late MiL's wedding ring, (little finger, right hand) and his own wedding ring, which was a large, very chunky, very expensive signet ring.
When DH saw him, he was wearing the gold neck chain and the copper bangle, both rings were missing.
DH was told to ring the Bereavement services office the following morning, MiL's wedding ring was there, but FiL's ring was nowhere to be seen!
We have checked the CCTV from the apartment building he lived in, and he is clearly wearing both rings as he is taken through the exit doors and to the ambulance!
I'd love to know where it went and am not going to stop making a nuisance of myself at the hospital just yet.
DH would dearly love to have FiL's ring back, he'd worn it for almost 67years and no-one else has a right to have it!
I'm not happy at all about it just vanishing, and am certain that someone saw their chance and lifted it!

That's just awful! Maybe your next step should be to inform the police and then write a formal letter of complaint to the hospital (make it clear that you have no intention of letting the matter drop until you get the ring back and that you have informed the police). Meanwhile, make sure you get a copy of that CCTV footage (those tapes are often re-used and old footage wiped). You might also think about contacting Patient Liaison at the hospital (PALS = Patient Advice & Liaison Service) who will be able to advise you of the best person to contact? I do hope that you are able to recover the ring.

I am remembering a touching true story of a man who dropped a bank note, and saw a homeless man pick it up. The man who had dropped it instinctively said "Thats mine!" and then, realising the other man had been going to give the note back to him he swiftly added "Oh no! I'm so sorry - it's yours."
A beautiful story. I do think we all have the wish to be honest and kind - but some people have had awful life experiences which have distorted or covered up this wish.

Some years ago I was travelling home on a train and the man opposite me was constantly on his mobile organising his next day’s jobs. Obviously some sort of builder, and very grubby. I only realised when he got off the train that he’d left his phone behind. I didn’t want to hand it in as I knew it would be some time before he got it back, so I took it home and managed to call the last number and asked if they knew who he was, explained what had happened and gave my number so he could call me and arrange to collect it. He rung me and came to collect it with a huge bouquet which was totally unnecessary. He said his whole business was on that phone. Hopefully he now backs it up! Although I’ve had my bag stolen in Brussels I think most people are honest.

A few year's ago I found £100 cash on the floor in a small quiet shopping centre. I took it to the local police station. They said to come back in a month. I did and they gave it to me as it hadn't been collected.
I was more amazed after this when I told people - quite a few said they would just have pocketed it!