Let's take a look around us, there are so many traps, unfortunately, it is a habit that thrives in societies where there are patterns of behavior destructive to society, as is the case of Venezuela, where the "Law of the strongest" has become the "Law of survival" for cheaters...
Many Venezuelans continue to seek coexistence in the midst of a corrupt society, where values have been lost, where deceit reigns, harming others through cheating, where the cheater maintains the belief that his deceit is a feat of intelligence. It happens in daily activities, for example, when we stand in line too long in a bank, respecting the rules, and a person in a wheelchair arrives pretending a disability to pass first, or for example, in a school exam where the teacher does not even notice that a student is copying from another classmate, in general, where the one who mocks all morals to obtain benefits, thanks to the trust of others, is the "smarter" one. In Venezuela the laws are interpreted to their own benefit, the "Law of the strongest" prevails, of corruption, it has become a country of profiteers, of abusers and many people have been victims of the consequences of these cheaters.
Cheating is not innate to human nature, however, the survival instinct is. In psychology, the term instinct refers to an innate drive to certain behavior triggered by certain environmental stimuli. And under the defense of this thought, all actions of the cheater that harm human dignity are covered. Those actions of cheating have a very deep moral background. The cheater is not born, he is made and is a social result. However, what happens if the cheaters are government officials themselves? In Venezuela being a cheater (corrupt) has become a job, it is a way of life.
In recent days I went with a friend to a health center where they are giving the covid19 vaccine to elderly people. I was waiting for several hours because there was a long line of people waiting for the same thing. After two hours, when I was almost at the end of the long wait, an official began to give us instructions, and one of them was to show him a text message sent by the government by cell phone telling the person who was selected to go to the health center to be vaccinated. I told the official that I do not have a cell phone, so I did not receive the text message. Then he told me that they would not vaccinate me without that message and that I should see how I could come back another day with a cell phone and the message. She pulled me out of line and I had to wait for my friend who was able to continue in line because she showed the official a message from her cell phone. Another time waiting in the parking lot for my friend to come out. After a while, I saw her coming out with her arm already vaccinated. She confessed to me that the message she showed me was copied and forwarded to her cell phone where she changed the ID number of another person and put her own. Looking at me she said: "too bad you don't have a cell phone, I couldn't warn you, I cheated" ... I just told her: God's timing is perfect, it will be my turn to get vaccinated...
I am convinced that we must first start with our own behavior and attitude for a real change in the society we all want. Venezuela needs it.
"That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, who deceive by the cunning craftiness of deceit"... Ephesians 4:14
This is an article in response to the suggestion of my sister @gertu13 and her friend @JonicaBradley on the theme of the week: cheating. Thank you for the invitation.
On the other note, I think it's really unfair for the govt to pull you out of that line given that you don't have a phone, waited there for hours, and to top it all, you belong to the group that needs it the most. Not all elderly adapt to technology, my grandma also doesn't have a phone.