I returned state bridge loan. It was the right thing to do.

As a business owner, I am acutely aware of the struggle my fellow entrepreneurs are going through due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why I’m happy to struggle a little more. With the government providing lifelines, it can be tempting to take every dollar you can get, no matter how badly you actually need it. This might seem rational when we are ruled by fear, but it is not a recipe for longterm success. Instead, we should always remember to approach this situation with others in mind. By not taking what we don’t need, we will all be better off.

At the outset of COVID-19, I made the decision not to furlough any of my staff and implemented an unlimited medical leave policy. However, as the crisis continued to batter the economy, I found myself in desperate need of additional funding to cover payroll, rent, and other operational expenses for my real estate law firm and real estate title insurance company.

So, when the federal government launched the much-needed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and the state of Florida began issuing bridge loans to help businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic, I was among the millions of business owners who applied for assistance. I was lucky to receive both of these loans.

However, after crunching the numbers and realizing that I could get by with just the PPP loan, I decided to immediately return my bridge loan so that the Florida government could use this money to help others. For me, it wasn’t just the right thing to do; since all small businesses depend on the well-being of the economy — it was the smart thing to do.

Unfortunately, not everyone seems to grasp this simple truth, and it pains me to see multimillion-dollar companies and organizations taking advantage of these vital programs, siphoning away millions in funding from small businesses that are struggling to keep the lights on.

In recent weeks, some of our nation’s most profitable institutions and biggest corporate names have asked for and received federal assistance that they could have gone without. For example, Harvard University has an endowment of $40 billion, but it still sought and received $9 million from the PPP. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, AutoNation, and even the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers are among other big names that have also received large amounts of funding while hundreds of main street businesses are forced to close their doors permanently every single day. Faced with widespread public backlash, most of these companies have since returned the money, but it doesn’t negate the fact that they shouldn’t have applied for it in the first place.

In Florida, there were around 38,000 businesses that filed to receive bridge loans in the initial offering, and only 944 got them. With some receiving unnecessary funding, and others receiving multiple loans — we are simply leaving too many businesses out in the rain. Whether you are a small business owner with only a few employees, or CEO of a large corporation — the responsibility is on all of us to do the right thing. Doing the right thing applies outside of the business sector as well. Since the initial reports of coronavirus’ spread in the U.S., there have been numerous instances of self-centered panic-buying, which has given way to hoarding, price-gouging and fraud. According to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, nearly 2,000 cases of price gouging have been reported statewide.

We often complain about government inefficiency, corruption, or mismanagement. Yet, so many of us are happy to take advantage of the government when it benefits us personally. We can’t expect the relationship between government and society to be successful if we see it as a zero-sum game. We need to see government as an ally and do what we can to ensure that it can continue to serve society efficiently. This means doing the right thing and not trying to take advantage of the system to the detriment of other members of society and the government itself.

Those of us who don’t really need food assistance shouldn’t be in line for free food. Those businesses that can operate safely without state and federal subsidies, shouldn’t be taking them away from those who depend on them to survive. As we continue to navigate this crisis, citizens and the government must work in concert to help preserve the fabric of our economy. If we fail to do so, we’ll miss out on a faster economic recovery for everyone.