What Does It Mean to Be a Good Person.
There was a theory about shopping carts last year that caught a lot of people's attention. I am not sure if you heard about it, so I would like to bring the story to light once again.
The premise is simple. Essentially if you put your shopping cart away after you use it, you are good. If you leave it in the parking lot you are bad.
If you decide to put it away, you have made what society would deem as the moral decision. By your own free will and with no one watching you, you decided to help out the employees and put the cart away yourself.
Not only that, but you did it for no personal gain. You did it without the fear of punishment if you didn’t do it.
If you leave the cart in the parking lot, you will not get fired from your job or have to pay a hefty fine. You gain nothing and you lose nothing. Therefore, it is easier to just leave the cart where it is.
The flip side is returning the shopping cart. Again, you gain nothing by doing this. You are not on the clock and you do not get a discount next time you shop by returning the cart.
No one will even give you the reward of feeling important by telling you what a great person you are. By returning the cart, you put more work upon yourself for no benefit.
This is why many believe this is the morally correct choice.
I think there is more to think about here.
For example, imagine if everyone put their carts away every time. What would happen then? That means the employees who’s one job it is to put carts away now don’t have a job.
While they may enjoy their first week of vacation, they would quickly realize they have no income at all. This would eliminate an entire job. It would make the companies happy, but not the employees.
I understand that the ones who put carts away are often kids still in school and do not need a full time job, but that is not always the case.
It is also a great first job for kids, and it would eliminate the ability for some of them to get a first job or have to work at a much harder first job to gain some experience.
There is also the age old adage that says you can not have good without bad. So if everyone put their carts away, then that would mean it is no longer good or bad. It would just be something that is done every time.
For example, in my apartment building, all the units share a washer and dryer room. If everyone decided not to clean the lint out of the dryer when they used it, it would be something I expected to already be done.
I then would not thank the person who did it for me even though they wouldn't hear me. I also wouldn’t curse the person who didn’t do it.
Also, now that this question has made its way around the internet for a little bit, more people know about it. More people are thinking of this question every time they go shopping.
I know I still think about it every time I go grocery shopping. So, if I put the carts away now, does that still make me a good person? Maybe I am doing it just so I can tell myself I am a good person now.
I think we all do something for some kind of gain. I think the shopping cart question is no exception.
By putting the cart away after hearing of this scenario, you can give yourself a high five and say you are not one of those animals who decided not to.
You can give yourself that small hit of dopamine and congratulate yourself on being a good person and better than everyone who decided not to put the cart away.
Maybe the person who leaves the carts in the parking lot is actually doing more good than the person who puts them away.
This is why I love philosophy. There are so many ways to look at the same question. Everyone has a unique perspective on it and will believe different things for different reasons.
So, I’ll go against the majority here. I think you do more good by leaving the carts in the parking lot.
I still think I’m a good person too.
