Cheat, if you could get away with it?
Let me preface this writing by saying I don't agree with anyone who cheats, lie, or does anything that is wrong and against the law. I too, like Gid mentioned in his article, Link , teach my children the principles of what it is to be good and not do wrong things. I explain the why nots, and the responsibilities they have to themselves first, and to society next.
I have however lied before. Yes I have, told a white lie, and that's being honest. That does also make me a hypocrite of sorts, doesn't it? In fact, my kids have confronted me with that before when we had a discussion once. "But mommy if you teach us not to lie, how come you just did that?" Colour me embarrass! Of course this is the part where I had to sit them down and explain why mommy did that. There are times in your life when you're going to have to tell a little white lie, as it's called. [I guess it's called that so as to make it not look too bad eh?] You lie to your husband, wife or boyfriend so as not to upset him or get into an argument; you lie to your boss about being sick; you lie to the person asking for a loan because you know his/her history or you just don’t want to be bothered; you lie to the cop about why you were driving so fast.
I did it (lied) but that doesn't mean I'm going to go around and steal and do things that I'm not supposed to do. I want them to have the fundamentals of being good and doing well. However, there are times when you have to say something that is not true so as not to hurt someone's feelings or for some other reason that justifies why you did it. I know it's contradictory to what they've been taught, but in a case by case basis, yes, be as honest as you can, go by your instincts and never, ever do anything that will get you in trouble with the law or let you look bad in someone else’s eye.
If they tell me a lie, I discipline them accordingly and that (lying) rarely happens. I've always said I'm so proud of them because they have a conscience.
You have to give your children these basics of living, because if they don't learn from you then they will learn from others you don't want them to learn from. If you can't be honest with your children when you're teaching them the rules of life and living then what sense does it make? We are all after all only humans. Being human doesn't excuse some of the things we do; however, we will make mistakes. Owning up to the mistake and saying you're sorry is always a step in the right direction.
While some things cannot be excused, because of the lewd and disgusting action or the criminality of it, there are some people that do deserve a second chance.
And while I’m not condoning what this young lady did in plagiarizing someone’s work, she does deserve to at least complete her education. The school can suspend her, and whatever else they want to do, short of having her shot, which seems might please some people. That could be my kid, or any of your child or relative. She did a stupid thing and should be reprimanded severely, but she should not be exiled.
If anyone were to tell me that they've never lied before then they are doing that very thing now.
Someone else mentioned in their response to Gid's blog (KFC) that she probably was doing that before, plagiarizing, and I responded that they were probably correct in that assumption. If that's the case, she's done because she's never gotten caught. Now she has and it's time for her to learn a lesson in why she shouldn't do that. The thing is, if she was doing that before, and that's not proven yet, she obviously did it because she could get a way with it. Therein lies her downfall. This will be a lesson well-learnt for her I hope.
I've confessed that I've lied before, but would I cheat? My answer is no I wouldn't. Because my concience would bother me too much and I couldn't live with myself. If I had to tell a white lie for a very good reason would I do it? Yes I would. As long as it 's not hurting someone else or covering up a crime. There are some things that are acceptable and some that aren't. And if me admitting to this makes me a hypocrite in some people's eyes, then so be it. I can at least live with myself and my concience.
If you could tell a white lie or cheat and get away with it, would you do it?