The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

Should Good Deeds Be Rewarded?

39 Comments

July 15, 2008 by Kathy McManus

If you do the right thing, should you expect to be rewarded?

Yes, say three men in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The men—all city-employed water department workers—were on the job when they discovered an abandoned safe at the side of a road. The safe had been stolen by robbers who broke through the wall of a local bank during a winter ice storm.

Inside was $11,000, credit cards, several bags of blank traveler’s checks, some presumably valuable watches, and bank records.

The three workers notified authorities of their find, and the stolen safe was returned to the bank.

But the story didn’t end there. Two of the three workers told the local newspaper they felt they hadn’t been properly thanked--by the city or the bank--and suggested that virtue might not be its own reward.

"We did the right thing," said the 62-year-old supervisor of the group. "No one even knew that we were out there, and we (still) kept the money secure."

Another of the men said, “We did the right thing, but are the other people doing the right thing? That’s my question to the bank.”

In response, the bank manager and the mayor offered thanks, but newspaper readers offered criticism. In a letter to the editor, one wondered, “Would they have not done it if they had known they wouldn’t get the proper praise or reward?” Another reader wrote, “They did the right thing. But do we have to be rewarded for doing the right thing?”

Tell us what you think: Should the men have been financially rewarded by the bank? If you found valuable property belonging to a bank or other company, but you knew in advance you wouldn’t be rewarded for its return, would that change the way you dealt with your find?

39 Comments

What do you think? Leave a comment

• July 15, 2008 by Average Person

  You should bloody well thank them!! If your bank records were found in a safe, and you found out that someone had turned them in without doing anything with them, wouldn't you want to properly thank them? Of course you would!! The fact that this bank didn't just goes to show that the good side never gets rewarded for it's kindness, the bad side steals the rewards. At least give them something, like $500. If I found a safe on the side of the road, of course I'd turn it in. But I would still be cross if I found out that the bank that which it came from wasn't exactly going to thank me for returning it.

  Reply

• July 15, 2008 by The Moral Guy

  OK, maybe they're not crazy, but two thoughts: First, to the average person, I think you're conflating two issues: whether or not the bank should, practically speaking, give those individuals a reward, in order to encourage others to do the right thing; and whether or not the people who brought the safe back should expect or demand some kind of compensation. To the second issue, I think the answer is clearly no -- they should not expect the reward. The valuables in the safe did not belong to any of them, and they were in fact obligated to return what they found; no one is automatically entitled to a financial gain for doing something he/she was obligated to do anyway. --TMG

  Reply

  • July 15, 2008 by Average Person

    It's not even about that. They didn't even get a written thank you until they complained about it. That's just sad.

    Reply

    • August 4, 2008 by Dennis

      It's not clear to me, from reading the story, that nobody ever said the words "Thank You" until after the men complained. All I'm certain of is there weren't any formal, public, written "Thank yous".

• July 15, 2008 by Jan Newman MD

  The word karma is actually little understood. It means action from the Sanskrit root kri- to do. Performing a good action will in the long run reap goodness for us. Performing a bad action will in the long term result in a similar form of bad action being reaped by us. It is a long term big picture relationship.We all know of people who have helped others only to be walked over, taken advantage of and spit upon. We can't and shouldn't expect and expect an immediate reward. If that were the case then we are trained dogs and not humans beings. In fact, we know now through neuro -scientific evidence that when we are generous the same brain circuits are activated as when we receive a gift. Ergo our good action is it's own reward. All we have to do is recognize it. The Bhagavad Gita a famous Indian scripture states " You are entitled to the action, but not the fruit of the action." Great scientists made their discoveries by noticing the results of experiments gone bad. It led them to the next step. that was how penicillin was developed and the effects of nitric oxide which led to the development of Viagra. Our rewards come from knowing we did the right thing whether others recognize it or not. If more and more people did the right thing just for the sake of being a good human being what a good world we would have.

  Reply

  • July 15, 2008 by The Moral Guy

    Maybe that’s too provocative of a title, but still, Jan Newman (MD!) wrote: “Performing a good action will in the long run reap goodness for us” and then gave some medicine-related examples where that happened. Of course there are times when good people reap goodness, and bad people reap something less good, but it’s flat-out wrong to say that *always* happens. The fact is that many times good people undeservedly suffer, even in the long run, while people who have done bad profit from their acts. And anyway, I believe (and I think most people do, too) that we shouldn’t do good things just because we believe we’ll get some reward, whether it’s financial, spiritual, psychological, whatever. We should do it for no other reason than that it’s the right thing to do. -TMG

    Reply

    • July 16, 2008 by Jan Newman MD

      1.) I specifically said that we are entitled to our actions not the fruit of those actions. ergo The actions are not performed FOR reward, any reward whether now or in the future, physiological, material or spiritual. Rewards or positive things occur as byproducts and unequivocally are not what is sought after. I do not believe that you carefully read my post. 2.) What karma tells us is that "long run" can mean thousands of lifetimes. So the suffering we are experiencing now can be due to negative actions we performed lifetimes ago. 3)In answer to a previous post, yes we are to transcend karma, but that doesn't happen by a "spiritual bypass" where we apply situational ethics. Transcending karma requires a solid ethical foundation and then reaching a level of experience of interconnectedness of all things with great compassion. Therefore we would realize that we could be the man laying in the street, the woman driving by and even the hoodlums and therefore would be far more reluctant to pass judgment on the Samaritan. 4.) The 2 examples which were given were specific examples of how beneficial events can happen when we are NOT attached to the results of our actions. Had Fleming been attached to the results of his actions he would have thrown out his petri dishes of bacteria as his experiment had been contaminated. Instead of getting upset, he looked at what had happened and notice that the mold had inhibited bacterial growth and then discovered penicillin. Furchgott's assistant made a lab error, if Furchgott was attached to the results, then he would have yelled at the lab assistant for screwing up. Instead he studied what happened and realized that the endothelium was involved, The results brought him the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

  • July 15, 2008 by Ann

    The world is not a karmic justice generating machine. If you need to think it works that way to remain calm in an often unfair and unjust world, fine. But evolution means we are moving from delusional thinking patterns to higher level cognitive processes and I hate to see your thoughts on karma (an ancient way of keeping people on the moral path) put forth as fact and encourage more delusional thinking in others. There is no correlation between an act we do today and what befalls us down the road. That's tribal thinking from times past. Seeing how Viagra and NO are related has nothing to do with karma. Mold becoming penicillin likewise is simply observation in action and using that information. It isn't karma.

    Reply

• July 15, 2008 by Kati C.

  Children are taught that they should always do the right thing no matter if they get rewarded for it or not. Why does this change as they grow into adulthood? Many people nowadays are so concerned with material rewards that they have forgotten the pride and the virtue of doing a good deed for others. It is a nice feeling when we are rewarded for doing the right thing but it should never be expected.

  Reply

  • August 16, 2008 by Sally G

    You couldn't have said it better. This is how my sister and I were brought up, how she is bringing up my niece and nephew. Just for the record, this is a matter of ethics, not religion or karma: we are all atheists. In fact that may help, as we believe that this is our only life, "Heaven" is here on earth, and we should have as good a life as possible (not in the material sense, but sharing with and helping others). I'm quick to offer my services, slow to accept payment; it's just the right thing to do.

    Reply

• July 17, 2008 by This Is Me

  Why should someone expect to be rewarded for a good deed? If everyone was rewarded for every good thing they did, the only incentive would be the reward; instead, the incentive should be helping to make the world a better place, as cliche as that sounds. I understand that people are sometimes compensated for their good deeds, for example, if someone loses a dog, they'll post a sign with a reward for $10-$50 depending on how prized the dog is to the family. However, I still do not believe that these men should expect to be compensated for what should be considered a good deed. Asking for something in return takes away from the greatness, so to speak, of what you actually did. Maybe a thank you note wouldn't be too much to ask for, but money definitely is.

  Reply

• July 25, 2008 by Tinkerbelle1978

  If they had found your safe, you would want them to return it. A thank you would be nice, but for crying out loud, we shouldn't expect it to be shouted from the rooftops when we do the right thing. Sure the bank should of thanked them. Not necessarily by giving them money, but at least by recognizing their actions to encourage virtue among others. The sad truth is that people don't always think that way. And just because nobody else is going to thank us for doing good doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. Someone has to be a good example, and true leaders, true heroes are those who do good with no thought of how they will be rewarded.

  Reply

• August 14, 2008 by Janette S. O'Brien

  The bible teaches us that you should not let anyone know what good things you have done to be rewarded for them. The lord sees what we have done and we are rewarded in heaven. The men should not have complained about being thanked or rewarded. Doing the right thing should have been reward itself. They knew what they had done was the right thing. If they only did it to get a reward, it looses some of its altruistic benefit. Still, the bank should have properly thanked the three men. Not necessarily with money, but, a sincerely letter of appreciation would have been appreciated.

  Reply

• August 16, 2008 by Mrs. Christina Tuituku

  When doing the right thing, one should not expect to be thanked or rewarded. Would it be nice? Sure it would, but is a hopeful anticipation for a grateful response to be a reward for doing right? For beginners, it should not be: do not let your right hand know what your left is doing (Moxie's paraphrase). The second is about delayed gratification, even if it means waiting until Judgment day. Third, are you really that self-centered and that cheaply satisfied? Furthermore, if one does the right thing expecting a reward, but shall not be, how likely will one do the right thing again. And what about one's sphere of influence: co-workers, friends, spouse, and kids? This wrong-headed thinking will be passed on to them, either to be replicated, or to be disgusted. Call me crazy, but I get such a rush doing the right thing, especially when it involves the returning of $. Maybe it's because I was a thief in my childhood. That rush alone is satisfying enough. Our standards are higher than the secularist, highest yet when Father God is our standard bearer! Whom do we serve---God or man?

  Reply

• August 16, 2008 by Ann

  The Bible is a religious text for some of the people in the world. The majority of the world is not Christian and many of us are atheists. We believe in doing good because it is the right thing to do not because it is commanded and demanded by the current god of the times. (and there are thousands as we speak). We believe in doing good not because of some future reward in a place that does not exist. The less delusional thinking, the more we can spend time on good deeds. Do something nice for someone today! And tell the world so you may become a role model! I invited a homeless woman to a coffee bar with me today and we sat and chatted about life. I took her to the library and told her how to get an email and get online. She asked how to repay me and I said, "Pay it forward." (do a good deed for someone else and tell them to also, pay it forward.)

  Reply

  • August 17, 2008 by Janette S. O'Brien

    While I do agree with most of what you are saying that it is great to be a role model, what I was getting at was, not to be patting yourself on the back for doing a good dead. If all you are doing it for is a pat on the back either by yourself or someone else then doesn’t bother to do it. You will just be very dissatisfied with the end result. You don’t always get rewarded just for doing the right thing or good deeds. It is called humility. That is what the bible was teaching weather you believe in the bible or not. It is a good lesson for everyone. His world could use a little more of it. We have actors, athletes, politicians, doctors and so on, all expecting a big pat on the back when they give back to their community, when right here among the little people we have regular Joes giving of themselves to help their communities and receiving no recognition. This article was about three men that did the right thing, then were disappointed even angered when not properly rewarded. How sad!!! Yes it would have been nice for the bank to have, at the very minimum, sent the men a very warm and heartfelt thank you. The very act of doing the right thing should have been enough: being a role model for their own families.

    Reply

  • August 20, 2008 by Sally G

    (Third generation) I was brought up on the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This really seems to cover almost any situation: it tells you to put yourself in the shoes of anyone you deal with, and make decisions accordingly. Hence, if you would want your lost valuables returned, you can expect no less of yourself.

    Reply

• August 20, 2008 by Ida

  In this case, I would think the bank filed an insurance claim, ? , and if they did they should have given the men a reward. If not, a hearty and immediate thank you would have been nice. But, I feel most of us who do the right thing get paid immediately...knowing that we did the right thing!

  Reply

• August 20, 2008 by Thomas O. Nass

  For the mature individual, knowing that you did the right thing should be its own reward. Anything else should be considered gravy! Tom Nass 5th Marine Division - WWII

  Reply

• August 20, 2008 by Donna

  I think the greatest issues, here, are, the expectations and the shoulds of doing the right thing. Doing the right thing because you know in your spirit that it is good, kind and it adds to the level of trust in humanity. To me, that is the most important reward...to know within the self, that you did what was right and good. I think the expectations of rewards is of the ego and not the spirit. It's great if the reward comes, but sometimes the rewards are hidden within the heart of the receiver. We never really know how much we can touch others lives. The greatest gift can be the gift of knowing what was done right or good, in your own heart.

  Reply

Tell us what you think.