More proof that honesty & integrity still exist
It would have taken the man almost three years to earn the amount of cash he found in the suitcase. No one had seen him find it, and no one would have ever known he had it. But, he knew. Jose Breta was performing his duties as a trash collector working in Rio de Janeiro when he found a suitcase stuffed with 12,000 reals (about $5,500 USD) behind a lottery ticket sales office. The owner had apparently hidden the suitcase in the trash pile to protect the money from thieves. Breta figured out who the owner was and returned every penny. His reward? $450.00 and a clear conscience. Breta is quoted by the Associated Press as saying, “At first I wanted to keep the money, but when I gave it back, my conscience was freed. Returning the money was the best thing I ever did.”
This story brought tears to my eyes. But maybe it was a accumulation of all the reports listed before it too. I just returned from a year of touring Latin America, and was feeling overwhelmed and depressed by the shock stories that pass for “news” in the daily press in the USA. I am tired of reading only about the negative things that are happening. Tragic things when they happen are turned into media circuses that keep a massive amount of human consciousness focusing on negativity and pain. These thought patterns contribute in turn to a daily feeling of fear anger and depression. Reading positive stories like the ones on this web site, I feel like I can face the day with a smile and a hug for everyone I encounter, maybe that way I can help spread peace.