Astounding Honesty

P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone/Fax: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

Astounding Honesty
Friends, I recently read an interesting story about a man named Franco Gonzales who was sitting alone a Los Angeles bus stop, when an armoured truck passed by him and he happened to see a clear plastic bag tumble out of it onto the street. The vehicle kept going and, obviously, the guards inside the truck were totally unaware that part of their load had fallen out. Exercising natural curiosity, Mr. Gonzales went over to take a look at the plastic bag and saw bundles of $20.00 bills inside it. This 22-year-old man actually feared for his life - afraid that someone would see him with the clear bag and kill him for its contents! So he began walking with it and looking through rubbish bins for something opaque enough to cover it. Then, with the money concealed in a brown paper bag, he caught a taxi home. He told eight of his friends what had happened and they tried to help him decide what to do. Franco Gonzales, after all, is not a wealthy man. He makes $1,300 a month washing dishes - and sends $800 of that amount to his family in Mexico. He is an undocumented immigrant in the United States whose money has been used by his family to do such things as pay for an indoor toilet and for a cousin’s funeral. In the meantime, the armoured truck company had discovered that some money was missing - a total of $203,000; all in cash. Police began a fruitless search. The possibility of an inside job at the company was being investigated. And nobody had any clues that would have reasonably led to Mr. Gonzales. “Are you going to keep it?” asked his friends. “Or are you going to return it?” Franco Gonzales wrestled with the question. On Tuesday morning, a TV news show broadcast a story about the missing money-and this is the part of the report that Franco remembers most vividly. “The announcer asked whether there was anyone in Los Angeles who was honest enough to hand in so much money.” Around 11:00am that day, he called the police. Officers came quickly and counted the cash. It was all still there. “I am surprised and pleased,” said a detective. But friends, as I reflect on the comment made by that detective, it comes to my mind that it’s a sad commentary that such honesty astounds us. So let me ask each of you a question: What would you have done? More important question: what do you do with company postage, office long distance telephone calls, petty cash, or other items at your disposal each day? The real test of honesty is always in the little things of life. Friends, good character isn’t created in moments of crises or novel opportunity, as I’ve just revealed. And honesty, like all the virtues, is a habit learned through patience. I look forward to sharing more thoughts with you next week. However, if you’d like to write to me with your comments or suggestions, I’d be pleased to hear from you. Email me or write to me at P.O Box 1540, Albany W.A 6331. Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418

Astounding Honesty

Friends, I recently read an interesting story about a man named Franco Gonzales who was sitting alone a Los Angeles bus stop, when an armoured truck passed by him and he happened to see a clear plastic bag tumble out of it onto the street. The vehicle kept going and, obviously, the guards inside the truck were totally unaware that part of their load had fallen out.

Exercising natural curiosity, Mr. Gonzales went over to take a look at the plastic bag and saw bundles of $20.00 bills inside it. This 22-year-old man actually feared for his life - afraid that someone would see him with the clear bag and kill him for its contents! So he began walking with it and looking through rubbish bins for something opaque enough to cover it.

Then, with the money concealed in a brown paper bag, he caught a taxi home. He told eight of his friends what had happened and they tried to help him decide what to do. Franco Gonzales, after all, is not a wealthy man. He makes $1,300 a month washing dishes - and sends $800 of that amount to his family in Mexico. He is an undocumented immigrant in the United States whose money has been used by his family to do such things as pay for an indoor toilet and for a cousin’s funeral.

In the meantime, the armoured truck company had discovered that some money was missing - a total of $203,000; all in cash. Police began a fruitless search. The possibility of an inside job at the company was being investigated. And nobody had any clues that would have reasonably led to Mr. Gonzales.

“Are you going to keep it?” asked his friends. “Or are you going to return it?” Franco Gonzales wrestled with the question. On Tuesday morning, a TV news show broadcast a story about the missing money-and this is the part of the report that Franco remembers most vividly. “The announcer asked whether there was anyone in Los Angeles who was honest enough to hand in so much money.”

Around 11:00am that day, he called the police. Officers came quickly and counted the cash. It was all still there. “I am surprised and pleased,” said a detective.

But friends, as I reflect on the comment made by that detective, it comes to my mind that it’s a sad commentary that such honesty astounds us. So let me ask each of you a question: What would you have done? More important question: what do you do with company postage, office long distance telephone calls, petty cash, or other items at your disposal each day? The real test of honesty is always in the little things of life.

Friends, good character isn’t created in moments of crises or novel opportunity, as I’ve just revealed. And honesty, like all the virtues, is a habit learned through patience.

I look forward to sharing more thoughts with you next week. However, if you’d like to write to me with your comments or suggestions, I’d be pleased to hear from you.

Email me
or write to me at
P.O Box 1540,
Albany W.A 6331.

Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418