Doesn't Everyone Want to be Decent?

My 20 year old cousin and I were having a lovely lunch and chat when this question came up:

"Doesn't Everyone Want to be Decent?"

I'm not so sure about the answer to this question. Questions which require honest answers are usually impossible to answer fully. In any case, I don't think this question (or its answer) is that important.

The more important question to ask is:

"WHY does one want to be decent?"

Who set the rules/criteria of being 'decent'? How are these criteria/rules being 'enforced'? By oneself? By community/ society (people around us)? By higher beings watching over and judging us every second of our lives? What will happen if we do not abide by these criteria/rules of being decent? What if we believe no one is watching?

This of course inadvertently reminds me of the recent Lost & Found wallet incident.

Someone left a comment on that entry, saying that the honesty which 'Good Fren' and I had displayed through that incident was OLD-SCHOOL.

Why is honesty/returning a lost wallet OLD-SCHOOL?

As in, has it become "unfashionable" these days to return a lost item or be 'honest'?

Perhaps... as the blog header suggests... honesty is vulgar...
and therefore... honesty is shocking.
......................................................

'Good Fren' points out a curious phenomenon.
Everyone I've asked say he/she would return a lost wallet. But all do not expect to get back their lost wallets.

Obviously, something is not adding up.

Either all the lost wallets in Singapore have been eaten up by some wallet-eating species or have fallen through the wide cracks in our first world public roads, people are merely giving the 'right answer' to that question of 'Wouldn't you return the lost wallet?"

It's the 'decent' answer to give.

So, it goes back to the original question of the day... WHY does one wanna be decent?