A man is trying to get rid of a large four-post bed he no longer wants. He’s left it out in front of his house and posted a “curb alert” notice on Facebook.
I’ve been looking for some wooden parts for a project, and two of the bedposts would be perfect for what I need. I could easily drive by, grab the posts, and leave the rest.
But here’s the problem: if I only take the two posts, the bed will be incomplete, and no one else will want what’s left. I’d get what I need, but I’d be leaving behind a useless, incomplete bed, which ruins the guy’s plans to have it removed from his property.
I could take the whole thing, but then I’d be stuck with a bunch of wood I don’t need, and I’d have to figure out how to dispose of it myself.
So what’s the morally right thing to do?
1- Take the two posts I need. They’re technically junk lying on the road, the rest isn’t my problem.
2- Take the whole bed, as the original owner intended, and then deal with getting rid of the leftover parts myself.
Let's analyze the options:
Option 1: Pick up only the two posts
Pros:
I get exactly what I need. The owner abandoned it; the rest is not my responsibility.
Cons:
I'm potentially ruining the usability of the bed for someone else.
I'm indirectly sabotaging the owner's attempt to get rid of the whole bed.
Option 2: Take the whole bed
Pros:
Honor the owner’s intent: getting rid of the whole bed.
Cons:
Now I'm stuck with the task of disposing of the rest of the wood.
I'm still destroying a bed someone else could use.
Both 1 and 2 destroy the bed. But the bed had already served its purpose for the original owner and has now been discarded.
Option 3 would be to do nothing and leave the bed there; someone who really needs it could pick it up. But there is no guarantee. Maybe nobody wants the bed, it remains there for weeks, it's ruined by sun and rain, and ends up trashed. And I lost the opportunity to use those two posts.
What would be your solution?
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3 weeks ago
01 Jul 2025 06:50 CEST
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