A moral question

[Dorothy39]

Thanks for the tip!!!!!

I will now seek out" idiots" talking on their cell phones when I stop for GAS!!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist typing this reply.!!!

No you are not a stealer at all, I'd say, LUCKY!!!!!

[Laura's Babies]

Maybe that woman will learn to pay attention the next time.. How could she PAY for the gas and then forget to pump it?

[lizbud]

If you are talking morals, yes it's wrong to take something that does not
belong to you.Whether it's money found on the street, or someone elses
gas at the pump. Since it was unintentional it's not a serious breach of
ethics. What if you are given back more change then you were due, would
you correct the clerk & return the extra money?

[kuhio98]

I think stealing would mean that you had the intention of causing harm. There was no intention here. This was just an accident.

But, it doesn't matter that she was on a cell phone. It wouldn't matter if she was doing a strip tease in public. Both are stupid things to do, but she didn't deserve to have something bad happen to her. But, you didn't steal.

[BOBS DAD]

Ok... I'll weigh in here. It's a tweener... I mean, it's certainly not stealing, but I wouldn't say it was "good fortune" either. I guess i would call it bad luck on the cell phone talking person's part - and as others have suggested, largely due to her addiction to the phone.

I think most people's "its her fault" response is due to their understandable irritation over those "people who seemed to have the cell phone glued to their ear" and can't get off - even to complete a task which might require their undivided attention.

I think if given the chance (which doesn't seem to be the case here - it happened to fast and too coincidentally for you), most people will make an effort to right a wrong. Given the wrong change - they will give it back.

Not long ago, I pulled into an ATM drive through. The woman in front of me was taking forever - which really was beginning to irritate me because she obviously was engrossed in her "CELL PHONE" conversation and couldn't focus long enough to complete her transaction.

FINALLY... FINALLY, she took her money... removed the car from Park and drove away. When I pulled into bay, the ATM was blinking the mesage, "Would you like another transaction?" Her card was still in the machine with PIN already entered and every opportunity for me to extract as much money as the machine might allow.

"SHIT" I said. Cause now I gotta say "NO". The card will spit out and then I gotta track her down as I could still see her at the light at first intersection from ATM (still jabbering away). So I said NO, got the card and had to track her down almost a mile later (several traffic lights). Even then, I had a hard time distracting her and getting attention cause she was laughing and head bobbing and really into her talk. Finally got alongside, got her attention... she rolled down the window and gave her her card.

As I was explaining, she realized what she had done and was truly thankful for my efforts... and she even told the other person on the phone that she "had to go".