What Is Cheating?

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What is cheating? Is it the way a person looks at another woman while holding hands with their girlfriend? Is it sending a flirty text or suggestive picture? Is it the action of kissing someone besides the person you’re with, or perhaps just the idea?

This is a question that has intrigued me all throughout today. It is an action that I have never done, and that I will never do. Ironically, it is something that I’ve been accused of in the past, but it will never be who I am. The reason that this intrigues me is because of some of the relationships I observe in everyday life.

Some men will walk down the street with their significant other and scan every woman that walks by from head to toe. Others will text, and even sext other women when they are alone. Some go as far as telling their girlfriend that they’re staying in for the night before sneaking out to party. It is an intriguing thought.

It is safe to say that cheating is wrong. It is an action that can never be justified, despite the situation. The old saying is that if you’re unhappy, you should leave. I agree with that. There is never an excuse to play with the heart of another, no matter how good or bad the relationship. If you’re reading this and you’re unhappy, please end it. No one ever wants to get cheated on, and it is something that is morally wrong.

With that being said, what can be defined as cheating? There is a line you can’t cross, but where do you draw the line? Is it the moment you flirt with another, the moment you touch your lips against someone else? Could it be defined as any act of passion? Is it limited to physical contact, or is texting play a factor in that boundary that should never be crossed.

After seeing and hearing stories of others, both men and women, who have taken these actions I still ask: what defines cheating? I believe that all of the above actions are morally wrong and factor into cheating, but do others agree? Do some people try to justify that it’s okay to harmlessly flirt through a text? That its okay to make inappropriate comments or gestures? How much should a significant other tolerate before admitting that its over the line?