The Cost of Cheating

Credit: JD Mason

The star of my high school track team would shout out to tired teammates behind her “when you cheat you cheat yourself”. As a high-performing track champion, her words were worth their weight in gold so we pushed ourselves to finish our goal for the day. How much easier it would have been to stop, walk, or take a shorter route. Our fellow peer instilled a mindset for those desiring greatness. Don't cheat ourselves and risk losing out. The team went on to win championships.

Her words were so impactful that it would continue to impact my decisions as an adult 20 years later. Life can present its fair share of challenges. However, facing those valleys is part of what makes life fulfilling. There are many opportunities to cheat though cheating romantically is the most prevalent form.

We live in a world where infidelity is a normality. Cheating often starts at home. Paying for sexual interaction through our phone, computer and monitors. 35% of all downloads online are pornography. According to addictionhelp.com, nearly 70% of men and 40% of women admit to viewing porn. No coincidence that according to Brides.com, roughly 30% of married relationships experience infidelity. A step further 14% of men have admitted to paying for sex. 

But the question is why? Why do we cheat in relationships and even in marriage when the stakes are so high. The most common answer is that it offers an escape. Infidelity allows people to cheat the realities that are burdening the relationship or existence. Some are not satisfied sexually, others emotionally. Some need a quick deviation from the financial or mental stress of keeping a home intact. Just because it feels easy doesn’t mean it is the easiest outcome. 

Back to the quote in the beginning of this article, when you cheat, you are cheating yourself. When caught, the cost of cheating especially in a marriage is so much higher than the momentary satisfaction and exhilaration when you are getting away with it. The cost of cheating includes but is not limited to mental anguish, family turmoil, financial crisis, humiliation and so on. Any children of any age group will bear the burden of bad decision-making and temporary pleasure. If one really sat back and thought about the ramifications once caught, maybe better decisions would have been made. The real reality is that everything done in the dark eventually comes to light. When you cheat, you cheat yourself.