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Do you think most folk are kind and honest?

(94 Posts)
LauraNorderr Thu 09-Dec-21 17:45:42

I do believe that the vast majority are honest, kind and decent people.
I lost my purse once and it was handed in intact, the kind person hadn’t left any details for me to say thank you.
I have done the same with a purse and once with a mobile phone.
Orlin and I once discussed the idea of finding a brown paper bag full of bank notes. Would we hand that in? Obviously dodgy and probably would remain unclaimed. Would we trust the police with it? Ex cop Orlin says no. We concluded it would be best to give it to a charity but having read Sago’s story could we trust the charity worker? Maybe bank it and write a cheque for a charity but then we wouldn’t want credit for illgotten gains. Such a dilemma.
If you’re a criminal reading this, don’t leave your money lying about.

Sloegin Thu 09-Dec-21 17:33:09

Aveline

A friend was telling me about being on a train that crashed in Thailand. As the dead and injured were being carried away, others were making free with their possessions. My friend tried to stop them and get the policemen standing around to do something but apparently it was expected. Rather fatalistic approach.

I suppose this behaviour, although dishonest, may be linked to poverty and real need. This is exactly how the wreckers, in days gone by, behaved off the Cornish Coast when ships ran aground.

lemongrove Thu 09-Dec-21 17:29:46

I think overall that most people ( in the UK) are honest and will go out of their way to help somebody.
Yes, we often only hear about the bad stuff.

Allsorts Thu 09-Dec-21 17:22:23

I think most people are decent. There’s always one though. When my husband was terminally ill, Certainly not watching tv. We heard if a tv being taken from the rest room.

sodapop Thu 09-Dec-21 17:17:33

I agree lovebeigecardigans it seems bad things are much more newsworthy than kindnesses and honesty. I think on the whole most people are honest.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Thu 09-Dec-21 16:30:16

I think most people are honest, it's just that the bad ones get more publicity.

Sarnia Thu 09-Dec-21 16:25:34

I believe most people are kind and honest. The trouble is that the headlines are made by the minority who aren't so we get a skewed viewpoint.

BlueBelle Thu 09-Dec-21 16:23:23

I like to think most people are however I have encounter the other side Been burgled twice, had my bag stolen from work (a good few years back) , my purse stolen from a different work more recently (my card was used in KFC and a convenience store before I cancelled it Had a young teen who stayed with me through SS steal my tv licence money which I was saving to pay for it and I loaned a man some money (stupidly) to visit his ‘dying father’ a really convincing sob story which I believed but never saw the money again
Working in a children’s charity shop I see people steal items quite often, the other day as I walked home I was a few yards from the shop when I noticed 3 of our empty coat hangers
(they are recognisable) had been placed on a garden wall obviously the ladies clothes that were on the hangers were in their bag as soon as they left the store and they didn’t need the hangers !!
When my daughters purse was stolen she got the purse back but all the contents had gone !!
I still however think mostpeople are honest

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 09-Dec-21 16:06:46

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

Aveline Thu 09-Dec-21 15:36:15

Sago that's awful!

AGAA4 Thu 09-Dec-21 13:55:07

Walking home one night I found a purse with hundreds of pounds in it lying in the gutter.
It was outside my neighbours house do I knocked to ask big it belonged to them.
It was the 18 year old daughter's purse and was her holiday money (in the days before cards). She didn't realise it was missing.

We also had a wallet returned by a young man. My DH had a habit of putting his wallet on top of the car while he lifted things out hmm . The boy had noticed and followed us to give it back. He refused the money we offered for his honesty.

Sago Thu 09-Dec-21 13:49:50

After my youngest was a patient I donated some very good toys, fisher price kitchen, ride on trucks etc to the children’s ward of our local hospital.
They had very little and said they needed good toys.

I had just driven in and left them with someone on reception who said they make sure they were delivered.
Weeks later we were back, no toys on any of the paediatric unit.

They had clearly been purloined by a staff member.

I felt terribly sad.

Blossoming Thu 09-Dec-21 13:38:58

Yes, I do think that. There are some lowlifes and they get more publicity, but I think they are the minority.

Aveline Thu 09-Dec-21 13:35:00

A friend was telling me about being on a train that crashed in Thailand. As the dead and injured were being carried away, others were making free with their possessions. My friend tried to stop them and get the policemen standing around to do something but apparently it was expected. Rather fatalistic approach.

grandMattie Thu 09-Dec-21 13:34:39

I think you’re right! Most people are kind, honest and compassionate.
I trust that parents to bring their children up as such, and on the whole, it’s working.

silverlining48 Thu 09-Dec-21 13:30:56

While on holiday in Europe we found a wallet on a bus stuffed with notes. A lot of money. We didn’t speak the language but gave it to the bus driver and explained the situation as best we could.
I was interested and a bit surprised when telling friends later that they thought the driver may have just kept the wallet, but I felt that would be on his conscience and not mine.
Could not have kept it.

M0nica Thu 09-Dec-21 13:27:37

I think the majority of people are, the majority of the time. But I think all of us have been taken bu surprise, when a usually kind and honest person suddenly does or saays something that shocks us, and deep in our hearts most of us know there are times when, we may have been slightly less than honest, and certainly not kind.

Aveline Thu 09-Dec-21 13:26:32

Yes. I do think that most people are kind and honest. We just don't tend to hear about them. Media only interested in bad news stories and vapid 'celebs'. Meanwhile the rest of us go quietly on leading our lives and doing the best we can.

Sloegin Thu 09-Dec-21 13:22:56

I've so often been cheered by having experienced acts of honesty. I've lost my purse on more than one occasion over the years ( must be a bit careless) and always got it back - unusually having left it in a shop. Two days ago I parked outside a toy shop in my local town to let my grandson nip in to buy some lego. I opened my purse to give him some money but I obviously forgot to put it back in my bag. I was tired and it was pouring with rain but decided to pop into the charity shop next door just for a moment. I got home and realised purse was missing. Searched the car, bag and pockets. Drove 5 miles back into town and looked around where I'd parked, phoned local police station, but no sign of my purse. Finally I phoned the charity shop, not expecting it to be there to find that someone had found it outside the shop and handed it in to them. I'd obviously put it in my pocket and dropped it on the way in. There was probably about £30 in it and some hearing aid batteries! No cards. I really feel that most people are honest despite all the negative news. My son said that he lost his mobile once so phoned it and the chap who found it insisted on posting it to him and wouldn't take any money for postage. Have I just been very fortunate with my lost and found experiences or do others agree? Needless to say that, when I do retrieve my purse from the charity shop I will give a donation in order to pass on a good turn.