Sunday, November 04, 2007
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? (WWYD?)
I help my dad and uncle do some maintenance work at an office building. Usually, we just change light bulbs, fix doors/locks, repair mini-blinds, etc. But yesterday, something unusual happened.
I noticed from inside the building that there was clothes stashed in the trees outside the building. I soon realized that each of the trees had clothes and other things probably belonging to a homeless person.
I was suddenly at the crossroads. Do I tell my dad and uncle and end up trashing all of this homless person's belongings? Or do I pretend I didn't see it and leave it there for the homeless person and risk the workers complaining when they come in Monday morning?
After thinking about it for a minute or two, I decided I had to protect my dad and uncle's investment and the people who worked there by telling my dad.
And before I knew it, we were outside throwing out all his stuff -- blankets, clothes, mouthwash, batteries, a radio, a backpack and some other stuff. On the one hand, I felt great that I noticed all this and was keeping the building safe and clean. But on the 0ther hand, I really felt horrible that all his belongings were now gone.
And just to make me feel worse, we later found a Bible and a Charles Spurgeon book and ended up throwing those out too.
What would you have done?
I help my dad and uncle do some maintenance work at an office building. Usually, we just change light bulbs, fix doors/locks, repair mini-blinds, etc. But yesterday, something unusual happened.
I noticed from inside the building that there was clothes stashed in the trees outside the building. I soon realized that each of the trees had clothes and other things probably belonging to a homeless person.
I was suddenly at the crossroads. Do I tell my dad and uncle and end up trashing all of this homless person's belongings? Or do I pretend I didn't see it and leave it there for the homeless person and risk the workers complaining when they come in Monday morning?
After thinking about it for a minute or two, I decided I had to protect my dad and uncle's investment and the people who worked there by telling my dad.
And before I knew it, we were outside throwing out all his stuff -- blankets, clothes, mouthwash, batteries, a radio, a backpack and some other stuff. On the one hand, I felt great that I noticed all this and was keeping the building safe and clean. But on the 0ther hand, I really felt horrible that all his belongings were now gone.
And just to make me feel worse, we later found a Bible and a Charles Spurgeon book and ended up throwing those out too.
What would you have done?
Comments:
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I would have gathered everything and moved it off the premise but would have not thrown it away... but your decision was not wrong in any way.
I would probably move all his stuff across the street (in a bag perhaps) and leave a note pinned on the tree saying where I left it, explaining why I moved it.
I second Jacob's point - you didn't make a wrong decision at all.
I second Jacob's point - you didn't make a wrong decision at all.
another option could have been to call the police, report the person's belongings, and leave it to them to wait for the person to return to his things and then move him to a different location.
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