Stupidity or Honesty

[goodman528]

Today I've just done one of the most stupid things I have ever done, ever.

I bought a bike from a shop, becuase of the shop was quite busy at the time, and I took quite a bit of time looking at the bike and asking for some adjustments to the brakes and gears. The staff thought I had already paid for it, so he gave me the manual, and we looked at each other, then I said "So what happens now?" He thought I had already paid for it (and I haven't), so he just shrugs, and said "It's yours... [short pause, I stand gumlessly]... we are quite busy today [small shop floor, lots of people crowding, hint to me to go quickly.]"

So I cycled out with £100 worth of bike and accessories, having paid nothing for any of it. I was quite thrilled by it at first, but after an hour or so, it just stayed on my mind, and it didn't quite seem right to me. So after lunch, I passed the bike shop and dropped in, and told the very surprised manager (owner?) that I didn't pay for this bike, your staff thought I did, now I'm here to pay for it. So there went £100...

To put it into context. I'm currently ~ £1000 overdraft and has another ~ £1000 rent/food/misc bills sitting on my desk, I'm waiting for my student loan to come through. I will be living on the overdraft all term. Then it's quite likely I'd have to get some min wage job in the winter holidays just to pay off enough debt to see me through the spring term. My parents are far from rich, so I don't want to ask for money from them.

So I'm now sitting here, thinking, banging my hand on the table. Am I incredibly stupid? I mean seriously, how stupid do I have to be to do something so stupid like this?! But at the same time, there is the strange sensation, that somehow, surely fairness and honesty is the sort of qualities I should be proud of?

Have you ever done anything incredibly stupid, yet it should have been, in some ideal world, the right thing to do? Maybe I'd feel better knowing I'm not the only idiot in the village.

 

[OuroborosChoked]

Probably better that you paid for it, even considering your financial situation... unless you wanted to risk never shopping there again.

Let's say you didn't go back and pay for it and they checked their records and saw that a bike went missing... and they trace it back to you. You'd be in some serious hot water.

You did the right thing.

Though, to be honest, considering your financial woes, maybe you shouldn't've been looking to get a new bike? 'Course I don't know your whole situation, either...

 

[Good morning blues]

Paying for it was the right thing to do. Heading out to buy it in the first place when you're that far in debt is the stupid part.

 

[Solo508]

Shouldn't you have just explained that you didn't want the bike in the first place instead of paying for it? Ah well, don't worry about it. You did the right thing morally. A lot of people would have just kept it.

I went on a collage course that I knew from the start I wasn't going to enjoy or appreciate but left it till about half way to drop out. I do stupid things daily.

 

[OuroborosChoked]

I never thought society will go so low that basic moral will be considered "stupid", for your question I'll say-yex, you did the right thing.

Morality... isn't always absolute, depending on your beliefs.

Really, the only way for morality to be absolute would be if it came from the authority of a diety. Now, if you don't believe in one, you must find other grounds for your moral code. Personally, this is why I think many atheists are more moral than theists (give me a second here to flesh this out, k?). Atheists not only have to think about morality, they also have to determine what their moral code is, and have the willpower to stick to that code no matter what. Theists, on the other hand, call moral transgression sins and can atone or repent at some later date. This is a really good way to get around guilt. It's kinda like cheat codes for your eternal soul. I think a lot of religions would do well to get rid of the atonement stuff. "If you sin, it's eternal" has much more gravity, doncha think?

 

[sky14kemea]

yeah i guess you did the right thing XD
depends how bad your concience is, some people would've just thought "woo-hoo, free bikey bike" and walked away, but for most people it sticks in the back of your head and nags you till you end up chewing your fingers off
so yeah, at least now you wont be kept awake at night, hearing the sound of a bicycle bell in your sleep

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

I think the main questions here are did they have CCTV and do you shop there regularly?...I'm kidding of course straight up stealing is wrong . I'm trying desperately to think of a counterpoint to ouro just for the sake of a good discussion on morality (I'm technically an agnostic) but I guess your actualy right. Even if you saw each situation like this as a test (a lá that film whos name I don't remember-maybe down to earth?- with the black guy as an angel that randomly tests people e.g slight overchanging them to see what they do) your still technically doing it out of fear of negative consequence.

 

[Knight Templar]

That was pretty good of you, most would have just walked (or cycled as it were)away. I'd rather not think about what I do. I would like to think I would pay but without been in a event like that I can't say.


God damm keybord, isn't working.

 

[fix-the-spade]

No, you did the right thing.

If you'd done that at my shop (and not come back), as soon as we noticed a bike shaped gap in the stock and till, the cctv tapes would come out and then the police would get involved. Then again, you'd never get out the door here, the bikes are cabled down and tagged. They don't get untagged until they're paid for.

Anyway, you did the right thing, it reflects well on your character.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

I never thought society will go so low that basic moral will be considered "stupid", for your question I'll say-yex, you did the right thing.

Now, if you don't believe in one, you must find other grounds for your moral code. Personally, this is why I think many atheists are more moral than theists (give me a second here to flesh this out, k?). Atheists not only have to think about morality, they also have to determine what their moral code is, and have the willpower to stick to that code no matter what. Theists, on the other hand, call moral transgression sins and can atone or repent at some later date. This is a really good way to get around guilt. It's kinda like cheat codes for your eternal soul. I think a lot of religions would do well to get rid of the atonement stuff. "If you sin, it's eternal" has much more gravity, doncha think?

Aha thought of a (iffy) counterpoint! It only took me... what 15 minutes? Technically even atheists are subject to social pressure and enviromental indoctronation so what I'm saying is even without a deity type figure to tell you what to do society and the pressure of trying to fit in (don't try the I don't fit in card it doesn't apply) dictates a set of rules you should follow. Breaking this rule set would be extremely frowned upon by most of your peers and then theres the fact your parents/guardians should have given you some moral teaching. In summary even without an almighty figure to further reinforce your morales (or lack thereof) everything else arounds you still tells you how you should behaving but then I'm getting into the topic of whether theres such a thing as a truely good deed and whether altruism exists so i'll leave it there.

 

[OuroborosChoked]

I never thought society will go so low that basic moral will be considered "stupid", for your question I'll say-yex, you did the right thing.

Now, if you don't believe in one, you must find other grounds for your moral code. Personally, this is why I think many atheists are more moral than theists (give me a second here to flesh this out, k?). Atheists not only have to think about morality, they also have to determine what their moral code is, and have the willpower to stick to that code no matter what. Theists, on the other hand, call moral transgression sins and can atone or repent at some later date. This is a really good way to get around guilt. It's kinda like cheat codes for your eternal soul. I think a lot of religions would do well to get rid of the atonement stuff. "If you sin, it's eternal" has much more gravity, doncha think?

Aha thought of a (iffy) counterpoint! It only took me... what 15 minutes? Technically even atheists are subject to social pressure and enviromental indoctronation so what I'm saying is even without a deity type figure to tell you what to do society and the pressure of trying to fit in (don't try the I don't fit in card it doesn't apply) dictates a set of rules you should follow. Breaking this rule set would be extremely frowned upon by most of your peers and then theres the fact your parents/guardians should have given you some moral teaching. In summary even without an almighty figure to further reinforce your morales (or lack thereof) everything else arounds you still tells you how you should behaving but then I'm getting into the topic of whether theres such a thing as a truely good deed and whether altruism exists so i'll leave it there.

Wouldn't all people be subject to societal pressure? I don't disagree with you. Society certainly has a biasing effect on one's moral code; theistic and atheistic alike.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

Thats why its an iffy counterpoint it didn't reply to the whole of your point just the section about atheists determining their moral code. Its the best I could do at near midnight okay? I was hoping someone with a better point would back me up.

 

[SpiritCorsair]

My short answer: You did the right AND smart thing.

The longer one... think about this: You definitely wouldn't have been happy if someone had nicked 100 quid from YOU even if you didn't notice it there and then, would you?

 

[zen5887]

Thats some good karma!

 

[SpiritCorsair]

Hey, I'd thought of this after I'd logged out this morning (China time).

Way back when I was still working away in a sock factory's distribution center, I'd locked my keys in my car during lunch break. The working folks in the outdoor smoking area suggested I just break the window, and tell the insurance folks it had been broken into.

My response was automatic: "That wouldn't be honest."

They all laughed at me like I'd told a joke on The Tonight Show.

But thankfully, my foreman heard what happened, and popped my car door open with a Slim Jim.

You're not alone, goodman528. It's pretty easy to lose heart on days like that, I admit. Even more so today when you can't even trust that your food is 100% food and 0% melanine. But I hope you'll keep on being honest and honorable. Heaven knows, the world ain't much on either.

 

[maxusy3k]

I think you did the right thing.

There've been countless times I've been given, say, a £10 note instead of a £5 in my change from a store and I've instantly gone "uh hey what?". Afterwards I've invariably been like "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" but it's just instinctive. I've walked out of shops without paying for stuff before because I've been distracted or whatever but I've always gone back like "oh shit guys I didn't pay for this sorry".

I guess part of it is, yeah, the 'crime' whether intentional or no would be picked up and a whole world of shit would be down upon you later, but generally I think sticking to your morals - regardless of the personal cost - is as far from 'stupid' as you can get. You're the person who has to live with yourself the most, at the end of the day.

 

[Fire Daemon]

Would you be able to ride that bike knowing you didn't pay for it? If yes then I think paying for it was a stupid thing to do. You gave away one hundred pound when you could have used that for something more important. Food and rent for example. But if you would have trouble ridding that bike knowing you didn't pay for it then you made the right decision. You can't ride a bike you feel you shouldn't be riding without hitting a bus later on.

 

[NeedAUserName]

I would only have paid for it if it was one of these small, shops. If it was the Bikers equivalent to Starbucks I would have gone back in and taken as much as I could get away with.

 

[hypothetical fact]

That was clearly stupidity, you would have gained a new bike for say free travel to work and the shop manager would deservedly lose out because they hired inept employees.