Cheating

Cheating is always wrong Society provides many examples of grown people cheating; from card games to relationships, sports, politics, academics, employment and the list goes on. A common phrase is “If you’re not cheating you’re not trying”. Cheating is so common it worked itself into the very fabric of American life, permeating nearly everything we come into contact with; “well everybody else does it” some say. While there is no doubting the argument made by those who invest their entire life in a sport where a batting average increase of .50 can mean millions of dollars annually or where key insider information in the stock market can eliminate the competition. So where, when, and why does this transition occur; from parents teaching our children “to always play fair” to actually paying people to give us an “unfair” advantage over someone or something. The lure of immediate gratification and instant wealth outweighs any concern for character, values, morals, self-worth, social impact, or future consequences. Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour De France titles and New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez’s multiple Major League Baseball titles will forever be tainted by steroid use. Bernie Madoff’s fraud conviction ruined not only his life and that of his family but hundreds of other hard working people lost their life savings and were forced to start again. Politicians who say one thing but do another, vote one way or another based on what special interest group is backing them, or just don’t stand for the constituents they were elected represent. Over time other gray areas are created; it is only a little “white lie”, what harm can it do? Steal it! I didn’t steal it I found it in the elevator, and I didn’t cheat on my spouse if the act was committed in another country and was strictly physical. This in fact is what happens when standards are no longer observed or are moved/shifted around to fit whatever it is we’re trying to manipulate. None of us