I mentioned that I've been playing around answering questions on Answers.Yahoo.com.
Someone asked in the Law & Ethics category what he should do if he finds an unoccupied car parked by the sidewalk with the door wide open. Should he close it, or leave it open? And why or why not?
Some people (mostly kids) answered close it, to be polite and helpful. Some said don't close it because if there was a robbery people might think you did it. Others said use a stick to close it so there're no fingerprints. One said to walk into it, fall down and moan, making sure there are witnesses, and buy something nice with the insurance money. Sigh.
This was my answer:
There's an African story that applies here:
A man had a herd of cows. The cows were being attacked by a pack of wild dogs while grazing, and he was unable to protect them. After several cows had been attacked and eaten, the village elder told him that he must kill one of his cows, fill the carcass with poison, and put it near the forest where the pack would find it.
The man was sad, but agreed that he would have to sacrifice one cow to save the others. The wild dog pack usually attacked in the evening, so he set the trap one afternoon. He had killed the cow the day before so it would smell very good to the dogs.
Later that afternoon a neighbor walked up to him in the village, all smiles. "I did you a favor!" he said. "I found a dead cow on your land, and it stank, so my sons and I buried it for you so it wouldn't attract wild dogs!"
The moral of the story, "When your neighbor's cow stinks, let it stink."
---When you don't know why the door is open, leave it open.
I have occasionally picked up a large heavy awkward box at the post office. I'll go out and open the car door, go in and get the box, and carry it out. I'd be really ticked if I returned to find the car door closed again.
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