I would leave the coin where it lies because I can't bend very easily. Someone else will use it. But if I was young, I might be tempted to keep the money. Fate sent it my way. Nobody will be hurt by my action. But what if the article was worth more—like a ring? If I left it there, someone else would find it. I should hand it to the closest shop—no take it to the police station. That way, the owner would have a chance to claim their possession.
Every day, we read the latest news from around the world. Most of the articles feature crime.
A New Jersey teenager sued her parents to get financial support after she moved out of their home. The girl stated in her lawsuit, paid for by a friend's father, that her parents were abusive, contributed to her eating disorder, and pushed her to get a basketball scholarship. The State Superior Court Judge cautioned against such lawsuits, saying it could lead to teens disrespecting their parents. Any child in the future could move out of home and then ask for financial support. Case dismissed. The teenager moved back home. I hate to think about their future relations.
What drives people to steal other people's possessions? Greed, avarice and a lack of caring—and in rarer cases, need. I pity people who have grown up without love or moral guidance.
In the sensational Pistorious trial, it looks as if anger overrode the athlete's moral decision. Whether he deliberately killed his girlfriend or fired through the bathroom door at someone trying to steal his toothpaste, his temper fuelled the killing.
But, just imagine a future society living without crime. The headlines would be about the latest discovery dug from the earth or newly identified birds, animals, fish or insects.
Also, novels rely on conflict. I'm unsure if a story would be worth reading without a character striving against odds and achieving the spectacular. When writing my novels, I make sure one person achieves redemption. There's nothing more satisfying than following a person's change of thinking.
Maybe we need this constant battle between right and wrong moral choices.