A few weeks ago I completed a phone survey by a marketing company about my shopping habits, The interviewer asked if she could send a more complete questionnaire through email and, because I was feeling particularly unassertive that day, I said sure. It arrived a couple weeks ago, with a promise to donate 250 dollars to a Haiti relief organization when completed. Believing it was too good to be true, I promptly deleted it.
This morning, with my new found commitment to kindness on my mind, I started thinking, what if it was true and I threw away 250 dollars? What if my cynicism prevented the donation from being made? What a waste. I retrieved it from the trash, and reviewed the message again, checking the charity to verify that it was legitimate.
The survey promised to take 15 minutes of my time, and it did. When I got to the end, I anxiously awaited the proclamation that the promised donation was on its way. Instead I was directed to a web site selling a book on leadership qualities, the focus of most of the questions I answered. Rereading the original email, I realized it clearly stated, that “as a thank you for participating in this survey, an overall donation of $250 dollars” will be made, which was not a promise of a 250 dollar donation for each survey completed. It was not a misleading statement, rather I was misled by my enthusiasm.
While my attempt to fill my daily quota for kindness has failed, my level of healthy cynicism has been restored. Today I must be satisfied with the old adage, “It’s the thought that counts.”
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