About a month ago, I met someone through a mutual friend who studied in the Netherlands for three years. He said that after having visited Switzerland, he noticed that people there were really honest. If you leave something behind, no one will touch it for days, or so he says.
In a recent article published by CNN, Reader's Digest is said to have conducted an honesty test in 16 cities around the world. The test involved a wallet with an equivalent USD 50 in it, a phone number and some family pictures. Twelve such wallets were dropped in public parks, malls, and other such places. The results: Helsinki, Finland was the most honest, returning 11 of 12 wallets. The least honest, Lisbon, Portugal, were only 1 of 12 wallets were returned - by a visiting couple from the Netherlands!
But really, really surprised me is that Mumbai, India was the second most honest city, with 9 of 12 wallets returned. Did not really expect that from Mumbai. Even more surprising, Zurich was ranked number 13 (out of 16) returning only 4 of 12 wallets! So much for my friend's "honesty" review of Switzerland. I guess Mumbai was way more honest, and that is coming from a developing country. Kudos to the people of Mumbai!
I guess the study reveals more than just honesty, it also reveals that even the over-all wealth of a country like Switzerland does not necessarily translate to an honest populace. And even in developing countries like India, where money is scarce and the competition for resources is high, honesty can grow and is in fact well and strong.
I have hope that in my country, the Philippines, honesty in governance and public service, and honesty even from the ordinary man on the street, has a chance to grow and to spread. My country needs this at this moment in history, were the spate of high level corruption is so rampant, gross and express that it borders on crimes against humanity.
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