Entry # 8

Entry # 8

     This is the last entry for the case studies we discussed in class before. This time, the case study talks about a scenario wherein I am a student who found an iPad lying around the classroom and I had an entire lecture to decide whether or not to keep it. This case study also puts me, the reader, in the shoe of that person’s friend whom he asks advice from.

      If I were the student who found the iPad, straight-up, I will decide not to keep it. I will either try to contact the owner or leave the gadget to the Lost and Found. First of all, I don’t need it. My family is well-off to provide me things other than my necessity. Second, I was raised to know that stealing is bad, no matter what the circumstances are. Third, before I make any decisions that will affect others, I always try to put myself in their shoes. What if this iPad’s owner has vital information in this iPad that he needs and/or might put him in danger? What if the owner doesn’t have a lot of money and this is the closest thing he has to luxury? What if this iPad is the most special thing to its owner because this is the last thing his mom/dad gave him before they left?

     Of course, not everyone is able to think the same way. I wouldn’t blame the person if their circumstances in life would make them want to keep the iPad. Not everyone is able to afford the luxury of a gadget like the iPad. Some people, even though they have money, might want to steal the iPad to sell it so that they can pay their debts that might put them in trouble. Some people may want to keep the iPad because the information it contains may become useful to them. For whatever reason, there will always be that tendency for other people to consider keeping the iPad.

     Meanwhile, if I were the friend who needs to help his indecisive friend, I will try to tell him the same: to give the iPad back. If he gives the iPad back through contacting the owner, he will not only feel good about himself but he may be able to build a friendship or some sort of relationship with the owner. He can also be rewarded by the owner for bringing back what is precious to him. If he surrenders the iPad to the Lost and Found, his conscience will be cleared and he will receive merits for the good deed. He may be iPad-less, but he will also be void of guilt. However, if I were listening to my friend and he told me that he really wanted to keep the iPad, I will try to tell him calmly that maybe It isn’t the best decision. I will tell him all the factors or scenarios that I’ve mentioned awhile ago (second paragraph) so that he has an idea of what the owner might be feeling at that moment. In the end, it’s not really in my hands to decide but I hope I’ve helped him reach a rational decision.

      Lastly, if I were a part of the school council’s judicial board and found out that the student kept it and was accused of stealing, I will give whatever is due to him. The circumstance doesn’t necessarily justify the end. If an action is committed with full knowledge and consent, then no circumstance is valid to act irrational. It’s not as if the student was deciding to keep it because a gun was pointed to his head or he was being forced. I will give what is the right sanction because that is my job as a part of the judicial board. We are expected to be unbiased and that’s what I’ll exactly do.

      In the end, making decisions really doesn’t have to be all that complicated. Just try to always think of what other people might feel and try to line it with your own feelings and your values. If you can’t decide, it doesn’t always hurt to ask for advice. After all, no man is an island. We were created to depend on each other and if we can’t trust each other about what we feel all the time, then it will be hard to accept to ourselves that we are not perfect and that it is perfectly fine.