When strangers ask you to watch their things...

A few days ago, I was sitting in the library completely engrossed in my Medieval History book when this guy sitting at a table diagonal to mine stood up and approached me. I immediately knew what he wanted and what my answer would be, and sure enough he stopped in front of me and said, “Would you mind watching my stuff? I’m just going out to my car for a second.” I nodded and spouted a thoughtless “sure” before he could even finish asking me the question.

After he walked away, I suddenly realized how absurd this situation was and how naïve, or just oblivious, this guy was. He just asked a stranger to watch his personal items which, among other things, included a shiny, expensive laptop. 

What made him think I wouldn’t just grab all his things and walk off, knowing he was going to be occupied for a while? Is there something about me that just oozes trustworthiness? The situation also burdened me with the lurking possibility that something could happen, but the kind person I am just accepted that burden without a second thought.

Now, people do this type of thing all the time. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve done it once or twice. It brings up all sorts of issues like morality, trust, accountability, guilt, and the list goes on. I honestly have no idea what I would do if someone tried to grab his things or if his things just suddenly walked away on their own. Nobody really expects anything to happen in that type of situation. 

What confused me the most was that after he returned, he promptly gathered his things and left. If he was just going to leave, why did he ask me to watch his stuff in the first place? Sometimes, I just don’t understand people, but I digress. The point of this post is not to criticize this random guy, but to ask that you engage your faculties of reason and not ask strangers to watch your personal items. If you need to go somewhere, please, bring your stuff with you.