Greed

Last Tuesday was the first time I've ever picked up something - money, specifically - on the ground, and claimed it as my own. I used to be a little paranoid about these kinda things. Whether it'd be cash or even just a little key chain you found on the pavement, a parking lot, an empty table at the coffee shop or where have you, I'd always have this feeling about someone's watching, possibly with a camera crew, just to embarass the shit out of you when you reach out for it. Well, and of course, there is the Chinese traditional moral about not taking what doesn't belong to you, and I think what goes with it is the idea that you're supposed to try and return the item to its owner. I remember back then I would simply ignore what I saw no matter how much I wanted what was someone else's lost; or for one instance, I was actually dumb enough to pick up over HK$500 [which is about US$60, and that was a LOT of money for a high school kid like me] at a 7-11, and asked around to see if another person has dropped it. Of course, the first person I asked claimed it was his, when I knew for a fact he was lying. But what could I say? It was a pile of unmarked bills. Now on Tuesday, all I saw was a dollar bill, and I picked it up in an instant. Turned out, there was a $5 bill wrapped inside the dollar note, and next thing I know, I have cash for cigarettes.

What a shame.