Honesty should always be rewarded

What would you do if you came across $ 50,000 i.e. 50k USD and could easily make away with it as no one would know you were the one who took it as no one was watching or paying attention to you?

Most people would probably pocket that amount without thinking twice because it is literally a life changing amount for the average person on the planet.

This was the dilemma, Emmanuel Tolue an 18 year old Liberian faced when he encountered 50K USD which had been lost by a businesswoman. He was faced with 3 options:

1. keep all the lost money to himself

2. keep some of the lost money and return the balance while claiming that the balance returned was the only amount he had found

3. return the entire amount

Emmanuel's decision to opt for the third option is indeed commendable and praiseworthy as we live in a time when the society generally honours only those who possess wealth often times disregarding how the said wealth had been made or acquired.

If Emmanuel had opted for any of the first two options , he could have transformed his life and started living large. He could have cooked up a story of how he had suddenly struck gold in some fictitious business deal or investment of sorts and no one would even care to scrutinize his story especially if he was spreading the money around via acts of philanthropy or community service.

We may not fully grasp the enormity of Emmanuel's choice in the face of the available options he had if we do not view it from the perspective of his situation. This was a young man who had to discontinue schooling because of financial challenges to begin riding a motorbike to make ends meet. The odds were overwhelmingly in favour of him picking either of the first two options as opposed to the third. But rather than succumb to the temptation, he did the uncommon thing to the disdain of many of those around him as it was reported.

I first heard of Emmanuel's story on a local FM radio station where it had been reported that he had cried out for protection from the police as he feared his life was in danger for returning the lost money. The report stated that he had received taunts and threats from fellow motorbike riders, neighbours as well as some family members for daring to return the money. I was indeed disturbed and hoped for the best for him. Some of the taunts which he received are quoted below

“Since my decision, when I have a breakdown on the highway and some of my rider friends see me, they don’t help; they say I acted stupid to find and return money. I should let the money help me,”

“They tell me I will never get rich in my lifetime; they say because I returned such an amount of money I will live and die poor.”

The quotes are courtesy of a report in the Washington Post about Emmanuel's Heroic act.

His fortunes have since changed between that then and the time of penning this piece. It was reported on the BBC world service that he has received several rewards for his act of uncommon honesty and is now receiving praises. He has even received offers of employment and scholarship up to postgraduate level (M.Sc) from the President of Liberia. Some of the rewards he has received include 1,500 USD worth of items from the business woman who lost the money, 10K USD from the Liberian president and 2 new motorbikes.

I am glad that those who previously mocked and went to the extent to threatening this young man have been put to shame and are should be hiding their heads in shame that is if they have any left. Acts of honesty like this should or dare I say MUST be rewarded to encourage others to tow the the line of honesty especially in a society like our where it appears as though the centre stage of praises and respect has been taken up by people who have questionable character or have acquired wealth by questionable means.

I do not know if it was intended to be on a lighter note but one of the BBC reporters had narrated of how he had encountered 10k in traveller's cheques which was supposed to endow a 1% reward for the one who returns it if ever lost. He stated that he had promptly returned the cheques but was yet to receive any reward as the company had said to would get back to him, which they were still in the 'process' of doing till now. He concluded that because of this, he would certainly not be returning such item if he ever encountered any in future.

Irrespective of whatever Emmanuel's motivations were , he did the right thing which is what we should all always strive to do irrespective of what people might say or do.

Shukran

Danke

Merci

Gracias

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ধন্যবাদ

Спасибо

for reading.