Raised into cheaters

Modern society seems to look up to one goal when bringing up a child and that’s making them successful. 

Wanting your child to succeed, to provide for themselves and their family is okay, but not when success becomes all that matters. Not when it becomes okay to break the rules and walk over people so that a person can reach their goal. 

The pressure of being a successful individual is put on a person at a very young age. It seems to be a common belief that grades determine your value as a human being. However, grades cannot show your abilities to work with people, your character or even your knowledge. People are willing to take a risk and cheat in an exam to get a better grade, rather than challenging their mind, expanding their knowledge and simply learn about things that could help them later on. 

Go ahead, call me old fashioned, but I strongly believe that school shouldn’t be just about passing. It should be about learning and discovering new passions.

These thoughts were triggered when I saw a few boys in school taking shortcuts when we had to run. It seemed bizarre to me because we run for ourselves, to get in shape, to push our body to the limits, to see what we are capable of. 

So, because of my beliefs I made a promise to myself when starting high school a year and a half ago; no cheating in exams, no shortcuts and I’m proud to say I am sticking to it. I am proud to say that I have achieved everything with hard work and dedication. 

Some of my friends roll their eyes at me and tell me I am a prude for not using cheat sheets. They often suggest that I should use it when I cannot get certain information in my head, so I nod along, smile politely and think to myself that I am not the one who’s losing here.  

The worst of all is that people will always find a way to bypass the rules, find a shortcut or do something morally wrong because it is not forbidden. 

Now I am asking you. Is it worth cheating in life? Is it worth taking an easy way even though you are only cheating yourself in the end?

I know my answer. Do you?