Living in Fear

I drove to the bank today during some errands. While at the bank, I intended to deposit money and transfer part of the deposit to my credit card (in order to decrease a small part of my debt). This could not be done. After sending in a couple of checks with the deposit slip and a message saying I wanted to transfer money to my credit card, a cute Asian girl replied.

"Umm, sir we can't do that, but I'll tell you what, I'll say that you want $73.00 less cash on the deposit slip and that money will go towards your credit card. All I need you to do is sign in the box and initial what I changed."

"OK, will do, thanks."

I received my deposit slip, signed and initialed it, and sent it back to her. I noticed that she was laughing really hard. I think she could hear me through the intercom singing in my car and found it funny, but I can't be sure. I was singing a Nada Surf song, so I'm quite sure it was so off key that I would have found it funny had I heard myself. Oh well. I'm speculating at this point.

Soon though, I receive my receipts. One receipt says that I have deposited a money into my checking account. It also says that $73.00 was taken out as "less cash." The other receipt says that $73.00 was put into my credit card account. This is exactly what I wanted, except for the fact that the exact amount of my checking account deposit was also enclosed, in cash, along with these receipts.

While looking over everything, still singing, cute Asian girl still laughing, I figure out the mistake. Basically, she had given me over $200.00 in cash. I press the "Call" button once more.

"Hello, welcome to Wells Fargo, how can I help you."

"Umm, I think a mistake has been made."

"Hold on, let me transfer you…."

Cute Asian girl, "How can I help you sir?"

"Well, I have receipts for my deposits along with the amount of the checking deposit in cash. I appreciate the offer, but I think you gave it to me on accident."

"Oh man, I'm sooooo sorry sir. Thank you so much for being honest."

I sent back the cash; she took the canister and ran out of sight. I soon saw her run back into the room and she asked me to hold on, because she was going to send me something. This is what I received for my honesty.



I got a handful of Bubble Gum. You see kids, honesty pays.

We said our mutual thanks, and I left, proudly displaying my new Support Our Troops - Yellow Ribbon Magnet attached to the right B-pillar of my car. I got to thinking. Would most people have simply taken the money? Is this the reason she was so happy? Did I just save her job by making sure she would balance out correctly at the end of her shift while anyone else would have taken the extra cash and ran?

I sure as Hellfire and Brimstone hope not. There is no way that most people would have simply cut and run. I think that people are too honest for that. Sure, there would be a certain percentage that would take the money, essentially robbing a bank, and there would have been others who would be confused and simply try to redeposit the cash. I have to believe though that the vast majority of people who would have caught a mistake like that would have turned in the money, if not merely due to principle, but due to a fear of getting caught as well.

In my British Politics class, we discussed this and came to the same conclusion. While a few in the class said that most other people will take advantage of unguarded property, the majority of students there said that it is only a few criminals who create that perception. I offered an example to them. "How many of you guys see unguarded and unlocked bikes on campus? I don't think, 'Man I would sure love to steal that bike!' Rather I think, 'Oh man, somebody left their bike unlocked. I hope nobody else steals it!'" They all seemed to agree.

I have been told that my CD's are unsafe, resting in a sun-visor case, while my sunroof is open. I have to think that my CD's are unsafe whether my sun-roof is open or closed. If someone wants my CD's, they will take them, and unless I am there to try to stop it, there isn't anything I can do about it. The reason I don't worry about them too often is because I believe that people aren't going to just steal all of my stuff, all the time. While I do take minimal precautions against such things, like locking doors and fire-walling my computer, I cannot, and will not, live my life forever fearful of thieves, hackers, and pirates. These people are not going to determine how I live.

Maybe we do live in a "Culture of Fear." To be perfectly honest with you, that would be a culture I would like to see go away, for good.