The Story Of A Lost Wallet In India

An American entrepreneur told the story of what he discovered while searching for a lost wallet in India.  Special thanks to Global Dignity.

Transcript

00:00I was in India and I was teaching a course on leadership in India and this is a

00:06Slum so they call it in India. I got back to the to the to the hotel. I realized I didn't have my wallet

00:18The minute you think you know everything at that moment, you know nothing and so I was in India and I was

00:24Teaching a course on leadership in India and I

00:27Had gone to this this university and I'd spoke there and after I left I got back to the to the to the hotel

00:34I realized I didn't have my wallet. And so I called the hotel and I said, can you please bring the car back?

00:39They have my wallet and they said I'm sorry, sir. We don't have a car

00:42That was a taxi and so they try calling the taxi company. Nobody answered the phone

00:45They tried again and nobody answered the phone and I became a little cynical. I

00:50Went from hopeful to skeptical to cynical I start thinking the worst of people and of course I said with my

00:55My wallet is gone by midnight. They called and said we're still trying

00:59He's not answering the phone the taxicab driver, but at 2 in the morning

01:02They called and said he answered his phone. His phone was off

01:06He's coming back to your hotel with your wallet so I get dressed and I run down

01:11Stairs and a man meets me and the bellman translates in for me and I get my wallet and everything is in my wallet everything

01:18My passport my money my credit cards is all

01:22There and I reach into my wallet near $70 u.s. I

01:26Asked the man through a translator. What do you make a month? He says about 2,500 rupees which about with that time was about

01:33$70 u.s. So I reach out and I say let me give this $70 to you. This is my way of saying

01:40Thank you. And the man says no, I

01:44Said no, I don't think you understand. I have one month's salary for you

01:48I want to say thank you his $70 and the man says to the translator

01:52No, and I said there must be a translation problem here

01:56I'm talking about paying you. I'm talking about giving you a month's worth of your salary one more time

02:01He said and this time he became a little visibly younger. He said angry. He said I told you no, I

02:08Didn't bring you your wallet because I wanted a reward I

02:12Brought you your wallet because it's your wallet

02:18Now this may not sound like an incredible story

02:22but think what would have happened if I had lost my wallet in a taxi in New York City or

02:27a big city anywhere in the world think about whatever the chances of me getting my wallet back think about and be honest with

02:33yourself now, this is a

02:36Slum so they call it in India. So I said to the man

02:40What can I do to be thankful to you? What can I do to say? Thank you?

02:43He said the next time you're in India

02:45Come to my house and have tea

02:49Be my friend

02:52Whoo

02:54Sometimes when you give you get sometimes whatever goes around

03:01Comes around I didn't give that man a thing. He gave me a

03:06Sense of purpose

03:07He let me understand that there's hope in people and that you can believe in the humanity and the decency of people and sometimes people

03:13Just do things because of the right thing

03:16to do