[This story, from National Public Radio’s Storycorps, is three years old. But an Ethics Hero is an Ethics Hero whether Ethics Alarms recognizes him or not, and this is a Dickensian tale if there ever was one, about a man whose ethical instinct are so impeccable that they make me feel terribly inadequate. Ethics Alarms reader and commenter Tim LeVier brought it to my attention….thanks, Tim, once again.]

In February of 2008, 31-year-old social worker Julio Diaz, as he often does,  ended his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early so he could have dinner  at his favorite diner. Diaz was walking toward the subway stairs when a teenage boy with a knife stopped him and demanded his wallet.

“Here you go,” said Diaz.  As the teen walked away, Diaz added, on an impulse, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.” The mugger was stunned. “He asked me, ‘Why are you doing this?'” Diaz’s reply: “Listen, if you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars,  you must really need the money. I was going to get dinner and if you want to join me,  you’re more than welcome.”

So the social worker and his mugger went into the diner together and sat in a booth. Everyone in the place, from the manager to the dishwashers, came by to say hello to Juan Diaz, a welcome regular. The teenager was impressed, asking Diaz, “You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'”

“No, I just eat here a lot,” Diaz said.

“But you’re even nice to the dishwasher!'”

“Well, haven’t you been taught you should be nice to everybody?” Diaz asked him?

“Yeah, but I didn’t think people actually did it,” the young man said.

When the bill arrived, Diaz said, “Look, I guess you’re going to have to pay for this bill ’cause you have my money. If you give me my wallet back, I’ll gladly treat you.” Immediately, the boy returned the wallet. Diaz gave him 20 dollars. Then he asked for the kid’s knife.

“And he gave it to me.”

In his interview with NPR, Juan Diaz said, “I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It’s as simple as it gets in this complicated world.”

So simple. Of course, the story could have ended horribly too. Diaz took a great personal risk, and being ethical often involves risk. He showed, however, what caring. kindness,  respect and a pitch-perfect understanding of the Golden Rule can accomplish, and maybe changed a life in the process.

A good night’s work for an Ethics Hero.

You can read the full story and listen to the NPR podcast here.