Do you return the Shopping Cart?

Returning the shopping cart is probably the best test of whether a person will do the right thing when no one is watching! Returning the shopping cart is easy, takes a few seconds, and makes life simpler for everyone. On the flip side, there are no laws or rules forcing people to return the cart and there aren’t any against. Returning the shopping cart will not cost or win you anything, it is done purely out of the goodness of your heart.

This reveals a deep look into the human soul of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to, has anything to lose, or anything to gain.

The examples are not just about the shopping cart… so when no one is looking, will you litter? Will you empty and return your tray at McDonalds (or a food court)? Will you throw a cigarette bud on the sidewalk (Yes, a lot of us still smoke!)? The questions are many and only you can answer for yourself.

A very long time ago, an English teacher of mine told me something before graduating high school and moving on. He said, “do good” (I wrote about this in an article a few years ago: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/he-said-do-good-ralph-azar/ ). Somewhere along the way I lost sight of that and, as you’d imagine, things crumbled down until I found someone else who told me the same thing but in a different way. Respecting his privacy, this person shall remain anonymous. In his own way, he taught me that doing the right thing, just for the sake of doing the right thing, is glorious on its own, there’s no better sense of fulfillment. Do not think of the reward, do not think of any recognition, just do what your heart tells you is right. Some may like it, some (or many) may not, but at least in your heart of hearts, you know you did the right thing when no one was looking.

Taking things at face value was never my strong suit, so I dug a little deeper and learned more about how energies work (during Corona lockdowns, I had a lot of time on my hands). Some may call them cosmic energies, many call them faith (or religion), others call them fate… I’m not getting into that now; people are free to believe whatever they want. What I learned was that whatever you put out in the universe, comes back to you — it may not come back to you directly; maybe to your kids, siblings, spouse, parents, etc.; most people know this as KARMA.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Karma is a bitch.”

Well, she is!?:)

And the reason I am referring to Karma in the female form is because, just like a woman, Karma never forgets anything!

So, next time you have the chance to do anything unaccounted for, or when no one is looking, like returning a shopping cart, emptying a tray, or whatever it is; do the right thing because whatever you do has a way of finding you again.

Well folks, this was my Verbal Breakdown for this week. Have a great week and see you in the next one.

Till then, keep it safe, keep it real, and keep it simple.

Ralph

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