THE MORAL OF THE STORY:God watches us all when no one else is looking

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”

— Unknown

I once heard someone say that if you always tell the truth, then you won’t have to remember to keep track of your lies. I would add that the reason for telling the truth is that it is the right thing to do.

Along those same lines, the reason we do the right thing is because it is the right thing to do, not because someone might be watching. This may sound rather obvious, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be to everybody.

I began thinking about this when I read a recent newspaper account by a young woman who boasted about figuring out how to avoid paying the required bus fare.

I was so surprised that I had to reread the paragraph to be sure I’d read it correctly. Soon afterward, I was stopped at a red light and saw a man who waited for his dog to finish its business and just kept on walking without any intention of picking up after the dog.

The next day, I went for a morning walk and saw a gardener in the distance. I could see that he had gathered several piles of trimmings together in burlap bundles, and he stood in front of one last pile.

He then looked around to see if anybody was nearby, and didn’t seem to see me. He bent down, scooped up a large arm-full of trimmings and threw it into the ivy in front of him. He then blew the remnants into the ivy until the sidewalk was clean. He picked up the empty burlap and began walking up the hill toward the rest of his crew.

The gardener didn’t hurt anybody by his action, and neither did the man with the dog. The young woman cost the bus company repeatedly for its fare, but again, some would say that nobody was hurt.

But minor offenses add up and eventually hurt us all.

Fortunately, I witnessed more positive actions by others in a similar length of time. I saw two people pick up trash that wasn’t theirs, and saw several picking up after their dogs. I heard about a woman who lost her Day Timer, and someone took the time to mail it to her, without asking for a reward.

I was pleasantly surprised when a young boy tapped me on the back in the market and pointed out that I’d dropped some money. I thanked both the boy and his mother.

I was a bit surprised at how astonished a cashier was when I pointed out that she had given me change for a $50 bill, but I had given her a 20. She told me that not everybody would have done that.

A friend told me that whenever she is tempted to do something she could get away with because nobody is watching, a little voice inside her says, “It’s OK, nobody will know.” She has learned to say, “Well, I would know, and so would God, and why would I want to do that?”

She then finds it easy and rewarding to do the right thing.

I agree. Choosing to do the right thing brings a reward that hugs our soul. And you can quote me on that.