Cheating: A writing prompt by @JonicaBradley

Simple Rules

·        Write about Cheating

·        Write 100% Original content

·        Write at 600 words

·        Tag @JonicaBradley

Whenever the issue of cheating is brought to the table, there is this attitude or belief that runs through everyone’s mind and that is where the biggest challenge lies. Ordinarily, cheating is not just about relationships but it has been pushed thus far so much that people do not understand or see themselves as cheats once it is not within the corridors of relationships. This leads me to ask this question; Are you a cheat? For us to understand this question in a bid to giving an honest answer, we will have to look at the cheating in its entirety.

·        Cheating Self

·        Cheating Government

·        Cheating in Religious Places

·        Cheating in Academics

·        Cheating in Relationship 

Cheating Self

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A lot of people do not know that do cheat themselves more than they cheat others. I know you will be wondering how one can cheat himself. The truth is that we have been the ability to make the best out of ourselves in all things but most times reverse is the case. How often do you take time off to relax your bones? I know you can understand what I mean by relaxing your bones. A lot of work round the clock without having a laid down plan on where or how to rejuvenate after the days hustle. We focus more on making more forgetting that our bodies are just engines the same way our cars are. It’s funny when I see people change cars yearly but this set of people have not taken time off to relax their body which is the engine that drives all they intend to achieve in life. When last did you visit the spa? 

This question is most times seen as a question that leads to frivolity but I tell you, once you neglect your physical wellbeing, you are gradually making all the money just to give it back to the doctor. Cheating self is one of the problems that have bedevilled Africa. It has become so normal that one cannot go out on his own even to relax his brain over a movie. The worst part of it is that going for routine checkups in the hospital has become a task so insurmountable. When was the last time you visited the hospital to have a routine check-up? I believe we cannot lie to ourselves therefore we should make a great effort towards taking care of ourselves.

Cheating Government

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This is one of the reasons why so many countries are still underdeveloped today. When you work in a country or state and you are paid for the service you render, then you must be ready to pay your TAX.  Tax invasion is a big crime in the developed world which is why a lot of these billionaires of the world will never want to be caught invading tax. They would even go the extra mile by donating heavily to charity just to make sure that they do not commit the crime of not paying taxes. In the continent of Africa, the reverse is the case. No system of government can work well if citizens invade tax payment and it is even worrisome when those who are at the helm of affairs invade taxes. What then will the common trader do? We cannot pay a blind eye to the fact that tax payment in most African countries is nothing but a fluke used by the government as an excuse for their inability to work.

The moment you decide not to pay your tax, you are cheating the government of your country and that makes you a cheat.

Cheating in Religious Places

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For those of us who are Christians, you would have heard about tithing in one way or the other. Although there have been controversies surrounding tithing in some churches, that does not mean that you should pay your tithe if you are in a church that permits tithing. Apart from paying tithe, there is one religious duty or should I call it a mandate which most of us fail to do. Have you heard about ALMSGIVING? Most times we forget that giving arms is a mandate which every one of us should do. It sounds very funny when I hear people say that they do not have enough for themselves, talk more about giving to others. We forget that everybody needs one thing or the other. You may not have the money but you will have a sound mind where a piece of good advice can flow from and help another who is in dire need of it. Almsgiving is not all about money. We should not cheat on those who we are better than.

Cheating in Academics

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This is the greatest monster of our societies. Imagine where a medical student passes his exams through cheating and sorting, what will be the story of his patients when he eventually becomes a doctor? This cheating in academics goes even deeper than we think. When parents make payments for their child to receive special attention during exams in schools, how then do you think that such a child will focus to read on his own? This has caused the steady decline of our school system especially in Africa and Nigeria in particular. There have been cases of children from rich parents getting admitted into the university without sitting for the entrance examination which gives them the clearance to study in the university. This is not a hidden fact but no one wants to talk and this goes on even when they eventually graduate from the university, they are placed as managers and directors of government establishments over those who are very more qualified than them.

How then do we expect to have a working society where everyone works toward the betterment of society?

Cheating in Relationship

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Everyone has been waiting for this particular point because that is the one we all understand better. Have you been cheated on? The percentage of heartbreaks from relationships is on the increase and it is as if there is no end to it. One thing we have to look at is; why do people cheat? I would not forget to state it here that cheating or the mood of cheating cannot be particularised to a given gender or race. Cheating is something that grows in a person who goes into it, it is just like tasting the waters, once you dive in you may not be able to come out of it. People cheat for different reasons ranging from:

·        Quest for more

·        Lack of love

·        Peer pressure

·        Selfishness and so on.

Cheating is dependent on an individual and what he or she wants in a relationship, but I have always asked this question; why would you cheat someone you professed undying love for? I would not go into that now because I believe that it will be a story for another day.

Most times we think that cheating is all about having carnal knowledge of another person who is not your partner but I would want to differ. Cheat goes beyond sex with another person. When you do not reciprocate the love which has been thrown at you by your partner, you are cheating on them and this might come in way of loyalty, moral support, trust and so on. When we do not reciprocate these things, we are cheating our partner indirectly.

Cheating has become a great threat to our existence as humans and I believe that was why @JonicaBradley decided to bring it up for us to look at in a bid to pointing out how we cheat on others and ourselves.

Don’t forget to join the writing prompt by @JonicaBradley

I love you.

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