A Question of Morals, What would you do? The tale of the Green Vase

January 13, 2009 12:30pm CST
One day you are walking home from work, just before you approach your apartment you notice to the right of the path, on a grassy patch between 2 trees there is a green vase. Nothing special, it's empty and quite small, but it's your favourite colour. At first you leave it, you return home, but five hours later you go back out and it's still there so you decide to take it back with you. Now the place you found the vase is a bit random, well very random. Walking over the grass will not lead you, or anyone else anywhere, on the other side is a 10 foot drop, there is no reason for anyone to walk over there, and the distance from the footpath is too far for anyone to have just dropped it. The vase has some mud on it but not a great amount. The markings on it are faded so you can't tell the make. It doesn't look like it would be worth much, it just looks like the kind of mass produced pottery from the 1960's - 1970's. It has a few chips in it but to you this is a gorgeous vase. You can't ever imagine anyone losing a vase in that location but your mind starts racing. You know that if you reported it to the police you would never see it again as either someone would just claim it belonged to them or nobody would claim it and they wouldn't bother to phone you back as it looks like a piece of junk. It also crosses your mind what if it was stolen, obviously not on it's own but what if it was part of a bunch of stolen things and just dumped or what if it was something more simple, somebody could have put it into their recycling box, as it's pottery and not glass they couldn't take it with them so simply chucked over on the grass. A quick summary. - The vase is found in a random place so it's highly unlikely that it's just been dropped. - It's not of value - You left it in the same spot in broad daylight for 5 hours before taking it in with you. - If you handed it in you'd never see it again or worse, they'd say you were wasting their time over some crummy object. - It's your favourite colour and it's exactly the sort of thing you'd have. So would you do?; - Hand it in to the police, you'd feel guilty unless you did but know you'll never see it again? - Clean it up and keep it, it's a bit dirty and chipped so it could have easily been thrown out, if you hadn't found it somebody could have found it and just chucked it and broke it, at least you'll love it? - Put it back where you found it and risk losing it? or something else? If so what?
2 people like this
4 responses
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
13 Jan 09
I'd play it safe. Bring to the Police. If they told me to keep it, then I would. If they would want to hold on to it to see if any one claims it, then I would be happy to comply with that. I'd check on it after some time and if no one has claimed it I would ask for it. I like having a good conscience. With a good coscience I sleep well and fear nothing. One of my most valuable possessions is a good conscience. This is what I would do, what about you?
13 Jan 09
to be honest as it's a shoddy vase I doubt they'd take it seriously, compared to alot of crimes going on it isn't, it's just a load of paperwork. I think I'll ask a friend who is a police person.
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
15 Jan 09
I've got a feeling the police would just say, "keep it if you want to" and then I'd keep it, my conscience is clear and if anyone later claimed it, I would not be accused of stealing it. Then I might plant some flowers in it and enjoy it.
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
14 Jan 09
I will stay there, explore it, clean it with whatever i have b4 deciding what to do with it.. lol =D But i wont bring it home, nor report it to the police.. INstead, i will be keeping an eye on it from my house and see what happens to it.. haha =D If there's nobody claiming it after a few days, only then i will report it to the police.. Because since i can resist the temptation for a few days, it means i'm not very interested in it and thus there's no point for me to keep it.. haha
@Celanith (2327)
• United States
13 Jan 09
Sounds to ordinary to bother calling the police about. Does not sound like something they would care about or even take off my hands if I did pick it up or take it home. If I thought it was worth picking up because the color appealed to me I might keep it but does not even sound like something I would bother with.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
13 Jan 09
I'd take it home, call the police and if they wanted it handed in would do so. I know that the police will keep it for a set time and if it is unclaimed put it into an auction where I can buy it. If it is claimed then fair enough. I would sooner the true owner had it than me. I like to sleep at nights.