The Ethics of Wishing Wells

[ket_the_jet]

Most of us have seen wishing wells. Maybe you've thrown a coin or two into one and made a wish. I used to do that, back when I was a child and my parents were supplying the cash (and I still had dreams).  The rippling water glittered with gold coins and the usual government-issued coinage, and I would have reached in greedily if it weren't for the profundity of the matter--that is, the water was deep.

One day during a lunch break, some of my friends and I set out to buy something to eat. I had no money, so I suggested a detour through the local park. I reached into the fountain and pulled out a handful of coins. My friends were shocked by what she saw as unscrupulousness on my part and told me I was stealing people's dreams. Was I? Are the coins really connected to wishes, and to whom does the money in a wishing well belong?
-wtk

[ket_the_jet]

This is the response of Dr. James McCarthy, Associate Professor of Geography at Penn State. He taught an amazing class Property and the Global Environment which I took a few years ago. The course focuses on environmental issues coupled with who owns the problems. (ex., I can pollute the sky all I want because who owns that).

Anyways, here is his response:
In terms of whether taking the money is "stealing people's dreams," my own take would be that putting the money in is a purely symbolic act; there's clearly no connection between the placement of the money and a given outcome.  It's basically the equivalent of leaving a sacrifice on the altar of the god of your choice -- it used to be a goat or something, but we now use state-backed currency to represent value, so we use that instead.  [In that respect, one interesting angle to research would be the origins of this custom.]  So you're not actually depriving the people who put it there of anything:  oddly enough, it is precisely putting the money into the well or fountaing that gives them the satisfaction.  Moreover, no one (I think) puts in any amount of money that is more than a token to them.

At the same time, it is a commons of a sort:  if everyone scooped up money as soon it as was put in the fountain, people would stop doing it -- for ritual purposes, it seems to be important that it sit there, at least for a good length of time.

Another interesting angle to explore would be what happens to the money otherwise.  It presumably stays in wells, but in the very common shallow fountains in public places where this is done, I think the municipality or government agency that owns the fountain periodically gathers it up and adds it to their general funds.  So on the one hand, you are just picking up money that is going to be picked up a government employee at some point anyway; on the other hand, you are arguably appropriating and privatizing money that would have become public property.

James

Well, that's the opinions of one of Penn States more intelligent professors. Let's hear your thoughts. Cheers.
-wtk

[Chang]

haha, ive always been tempted to reach in and take some. but have never done so in fear of "bad karma"

[jdizzy001]

If the money is never to be collected by any sort of government or owner of the well, you know what they say... "find a penny pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck."  SO, in theory, "Find a lot of pennies, in a wishing well, pick them up and you have a lot more money than before you passed the wishing well." 

[ket_the_jet]

Well, even if the gov't does pick it up, I have never in my government background heard of any legislation in any country that stops you from picking pennies (or quarters or dollars, Euros, etc...)
-wtk

[FM]

There IS the fact that, in order to claim "lost" money, you should put an add, wait a period of time, etc, etc, etc. But other than that, I think it actually might be fair game. I'd think otherwise, though, if that money was gathered up and donated for charity. But without knowing what happens... Well, you know. Plus, I AM a certified lawyer, even if I don't exercise it.

[ket_the_jet]

claim "lost" money

Sure, but is it actually lost? I guess the question is who becomes the owner of the money? The fountain owner?
-wtk

[Elrohir]

I think the money is get by the city, who cares for cleaning and so on.