Have you ever been cheated? Or the other way around - have you ever cheated? 

I did participate in cheating for an exam when I was in high school. My classmates were passing crumpled papers soliciting answers. Back then, almost the whole class can be considered as an accomplice. Though we all passed and no one was caught and apprehended, I cannot say it was a gratified moment. 

When in college, my thesis groupmates did something that I'm sure will get us expelled if it were discovered. One groupmate pilfered supplies from the Guidance and Counseling office. Instead of just photocopying or borrowing a book from the library, another groupmate tears pages from the books we need to research on. In my defense, I did not actively participate in the crime, but I know I have a share of guilt. 

Cheating is an act of deception, manipulation, and/or deprivation of another to obtain an unfair advantage. Cheating is prolific in examinations, relationships, management, and even on an interpersonal level. From forms to personal information, to taxes and even personal diet, it seems like cheating is in the air we breathe.

I would like to second what Nadia Bokody has to say: "Cheating is natural, but not acceptable".

Cheating reveals much more about ourselves

When we cheat, we are not just fooling others, we fool ourselves as well. It reveals much about our insecurities and lack of integrity. We are just showing people that we cannot do anything right and plausible unless we resort to deceit and manipulation. We are revealing an ugly truth about ourselves - that we cannot be trusted. 

Cheating will cause us to lose valuable people

Notorious cheaters seldom have close friends. If they have, they might share the same deceptive, manipulative nature. People who lack integrity are not loved by people. No one wants to spend time with them because people are not sure if the person they are dealing with is hiding beneath a mask. No wonder people are quick to conclude that trust, once lost, is hard to regain. 

Cheating might become a lifestyle if not addressed

I've read elsewhere that 21 days form a habit. We may not be intentional in deceiving and cheating people but when we consider it as an option in our day-to-day course of action, it might become a dangerous lifestyle. Worse, don't let yourself end up in a web of lies. It's awful to live on one lie to another, always afraid of being caught any moment. 

Cheating is never right and acceptable

Cheating may give us temporary pleasure. It may bring us the thing we want for the moment. But no matter how hard we try to justify the act, cheating is cheating. It is not morally right and never acceptable. I don't know of any culture or religion that justifies cheating and deceit. Some people may be able to get away from cheating. Some may even think of their sin as trivial and irrelevant. But it's not the magnitude that counts. It's the act. 

Final Thoughts

To reiterate, cheating is natural but not acceptable. It doesn't matter whether everyone is doing it and everyone seems to get away with it as if it is no big deal. It doesn't matter whether what benefits it gives us. At the end of the day, deception is deception. It's difficult to live feeling guilty. It's like imprisonment. As cliche as it may sound, only the truth will set us free. 

Beginning today, commit to speaking the truth. We don't want to be known as fraud. I believe, deep in our hearts, we want to be a person of integrity. 

This post is inspired by @JonicaBradley's Writing Prompt #6: Cheating. 

Hi, I am Marts! Aside from read.cash, I also run my blog - martsvalenzuela.com. I plan on growing my readership while learning to improve my craft and journey towards my passion to write and publish books that add value to people.

Carpe Diem!