'It’s dishonest not to tell him': Carpenter fixes her elderly neighbor's broken fence overnight, fellow neighbors pressure her to tell him she was the one who did the kind deed

The Money Song from the great American musical "Avenue Q" proclaimed, "When you help others, you can't help helping yourself!" The song is about the importance of giving money charitably, not because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes you feel like a good person. It's the deep, dark secret of charity and, in some ways, the most obvious fact about it: people aren't giving purely out of the goodness of their hearts. There are many other factors at play, and a great deal can be gained from being publicly gracious.

Even though some people give selfishly, many want to give out of the goodness of their hearts, rather than as a means to an end of being praised publicly. They genuinely want to do good and feel that the gazes of others detracts from the act of giving itself. Many museums and opera houses have benefactors who donate over a million dollars, listed simply as "Anonymous" at the top of their donor list, even though they could easily claim some of the glory of giving to that cultural institution more than anyone else.

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The woman in this story doesn't want to claim the glory of her good deed. Well, she wants to do that with her neighbors and online, but not with the person she did the good deed for. She merely wants him to enjoy the fruit of her labors and doesn't wish that he feel indebted to her, which is an admirable desire.
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Am I wrong for secretly fixing my neighbor’s broken fence every night because I didn’t want to embarrass him?

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