IT FEELS GOOD TO DO GOOD
Bob:
So Ralph, what do you think about this? We have gotten some paid subscribers. I think it's crazy that people want to send money to us, you and me. But they’re sending, and we've been able to make our first donation.
Ralph:
I know. I was looking at the picture of the children at the desk, and I thought, it’s amazing that somewhere on the other side of the world, something I did not expect to happen will affect a child's life. And one day, that person might be a nurse or a teacher teaching someone else sitting behind that desk. It really makes you feel humble and proud.
Bob:
Yeah, yeah, it does. When we started talking about this, I had no idea that it might turn into something that had this kind of benefit.
Ralph:
When we were kids, I always used to hear the grown-ups say, “It feels good to do good.” And it always sounded to me like they were figuring that out. It was pretty obvious to me. Then you grow up and forget it, so you do have to rediscover it. I think that’s why I like telling my stories and reading your poems.
Bob:
But Ralph, I gotta tell you, I get more messages and emails from these drop-dead gorgeous Asian women. They must think I am the cat’s meow. It seems like they always want to start a conversation with me. Either flatter me over a post or pretend they accidentally got my contact information. Sometimes, I get a message asking if I’m busy, and I tell them, “Yeah, I’m on a break between sessions at an international fraud convention. I never hear from them after that.
Ralph:
I know what you mean. One time, I was getting all these invitations to join dating services. And I said I was waiting for the one that said 70 and older. There are so many scams out there. There are so many tricks fooling people, especially older people and seniors. People can be gullible about wanting something. It gets me angry.
Bob:
I heard they have whole farms in Russia and Eastern Europe. Whole towns are set up for no other reasons than to run these scams. They find somebody that responds, and then they get into a conversation. These guys invest weeks and months of one-on-one time to build up a relationship with folks just so they can eventually get them into a compromising situation so they can blackmail them or make them feel like they need some urgent help and send money. It's crazy. They make billions of dollars on these scams. What’s unbelievable is the amount of time they are willing to invest in building up the trust.
Ralph:
They do. And with this artificial intelligence, the voices, imagery, and things seem so real. You know, like I said, people can be fooled. When you're fooled because you're gullible, it is one thing, but, you know, intelligent people can be fooled by this high-tech and electronic stuff. But there are places like the Federal Trade Commission and the Bureau of Consumer Protection that you can visit. We work too hard for our money and seniors and living on social security, and it ain’t right for somebody to come and take their money like that. It's a shame that a lot of the money gets eaten up in administrative expenses, so you got to got to check into it if you want to make sure that you know what you're doing does some good.
Bob:
Yeah, but it doesn't mean we're the smartest guys in the world. I once got taken for a good chunk of money. Connie and I were sitting at home and got a a text message from our good friend, who we know travels a lot. She tells us that she's over in England, her pocketbook got snatched, lost her passport and all her credit cards, and has nothing. She needed 500 bucks, and it sounded like her, and we knew that she traveled and the like. So, you know, we quick-quick ran down to the Western Union, followed her directions, sent her the money, got home, drove by her house, saw that her car was sitting out front, and called her, and she goes no I'm not in England.
Ralph:
These people are so smart and so sneaky that it's scary. Sometimes Dot’ll say I got this thing that Amazon's got a package for us. I said Dot, Amazon's not going send you a text and say, we got a package, you know, you need to call or do this number. I said, don't fall for stuff like that.
Bob:
Right, right. Or it's something that looks like it comes from the post office and says we weren't able to deliver your package, so click on this little click. And if you click on it, they get inside, and it's all over. Always check the email address that the email came from because you get these emails that are really official-looking like they're from the United States Postal Service. Then you look at the person who sent it, and they have a last name with 27 letters, like O-S-T-U-T-L-L-L-L-L-K-R-K-S-T. I go, that doesn't sound like a postmaster.
Ralph:
Even with all that, we have to remember that it feels good to do good. It's a simple thing, but a couple of times in the last several years, the waitress would come up and just something where Dot and I catch each other’s eye, and we knew we would leave her a little bit extra. A few years ago, we left a really generous tip to this young girl. She returned a little later and said, “I think y'all made a mistake,” I laughed. She probably figured we were old and just a little, you know, feeble. She said it again, “I think you made a mistake.’ And I said, “No, no, we know exactly what we did.” I said, “That's for you.” You couldn’t buy that smile. It feels good to do good.
Bob:
Yeah, I remember one time we went out to Applebee's, and the waitress came over, and you know how they get all sweet and nice. “Hi, I'm going to be your server for tonight. and my name is Josie,” and they go on and on. My son, you know, is looking at it sarcastically, and he says, ‘Wow, she's really bucking for a tip.” And I looked at him and said, “No, she thinks I'm incredibly handsome!” And he says, “I don't think so, Dad.” I said, “No, I'm going with that one!" it all worked out. She got a nice tip, I walked, no, strutted out, and my son thought we were both nuts, but it was all good.
Ralph:
It feels good to do good.
Bob:
It feels good to do good.