Tommy O’Connor, a senior at Irvington High School, was exiting a 7-Eleven in Fremont, California, when he discovered himself in the middle of a “What would you do?” moment. After purchasing a beverage at the convenience shop, the kid discovered a wallet on the ground on his way back to Irvington High School.
When he took it up and peeked inside, he saw a slew of $100 banknotes. Despite Tommy’s failure to count the money at the moment, it was later discovered that the wallet contained $2,300 in cash. Tommy was forced to choose between trying to return the wallet to its real owner and going on a shopping spree as he stared at the wad of cash.
Tommy, fortunately for one veteran, didn’t wait to make the correct option that fateful Tuesday. The only option was to do the correct thing — yet there was a dilemma. Tommy couldn’t discover the owner’s name within the wallet. However, he would not contemplate pocketing the money.
Tommy, on the other hand, took the wallet and cash to his paraeducator, Anna Gomez, at school. He was really worried about locating the owner of the wallet, Gomez remembered. No other possibility occurred to him. He understood exactly what he had to accomplish.
When he saw it, he didn’t count it, Tommy said. He simply assumed it was someone’s rent or something, he continued. The couple found 23 $100 dollars in the wallet as Gomez combed through it, but Tommy never contemplated doing anything except the correct decision.
A Veteran’s Identification Card was eventually discovered in the wallet, disclosing the owner’s name and the fact that he was a war veteran. Tommy O’Connor and Anna Gomez conferred with Irvington Principal Sarah Smoot, who aided in contacting the vet and obtaining the wallet back.
The nameless but delighted owner verified that the cash was definitely for his rent and gratefully thanked Tommy with $50 once the wallet and money were returned. But Tommy’s story is far from over. And his parents have every right to be pleased.
Tommy had a compelling motive to be enticed by the money. The boy, whose family lives paycheck to paycheck, didn’t even have enough money for lunch the day before he discovered the wallet. Tommy’s father, Ron O’Connor expressed that with them living month to month, it’s a large chunk of money, and he is very proud of him that he achieved it.
Tommy’s mom wrote him a touching text after learning of his actions, yet it was his reaction that revealed the teen’s true nature. Sherry O’Connor texted Tommy that she is really proud of her son. Ms. Kalra contacted her. He is truly one in a million. To the moon and back, his mom loves him.
Tommy, unable to accept credit, responded, they should be thanking themselves. They brought him up. Even though the local media lauded the California adolescent, he shows kindness. It’s just doing what he wants everyone else would, Tommy explained.
However, Tommy’s parents are aware that he might have easily opted to retain the money and are properly happy that, despite their personal difficulties, their son was not swayed and his morality did not waver. Ron O’Connor is simply glad that he did the right thing. Maybe, all of his kids would have done the same thing.
Tommy O’Connor, on the other hand, appears to be exactly who he is. Tommy has always been that sort of guy – he’s really compassionate to other pupils,” said Dipa Kalra, an Irvington physical science teacher and one of Tommy’s professors. She spoke with his mom and told her she should be proud of him. He never considered himself, only what the owner of the wallet was experiencing.
That is what we mean by compassion: the capacity to comprehend and experience the sentiments of another. It is synonymous with compassion, yet tragically, it is becoming increasingly rare in a culture that is increasingly self-centered and self-obsessed. With self-indulgent technologies like social media at their disposal, many in our society, particularly our young, focus on their own significance, difficulties, and demands, expecting to improve their own condition.
Tommy could have done that and made a few thousand dollars more, yet he didn’t.
Everybody gains to some extent when we go outside of our self-important bubbles, like Tommy did. Yes, Tommy O’Connor only received $50 rather than $2,300, yet he set an invaluable example. As his tale circulates, his deeds will help motivate others to think again and do the correct thing. And, one day, that “lost wallet” may be his. Simply put, when society follows the Golden Rule — treating others as we would like to be treated — we all benefit.
