Cheating....

Ok, so a few weeks ago, I was inquiring on how people define cheating & the responses I received let me know that there is no universal definition of what constitutes as cheating. Everyone has a different opinion on what the act entails. Some believe that acting on a physical or emotional attraction to somebody constitutes as cheating. Some felt cheating constitutes any behavior that you would be ashamed to tell your significant other about. Others, felt cheating was the sole act of having sex with someone who is NOT your significant other. Furthermore, others felt cheating was becoming emotionally attached and involved with a person other than your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/etc. Almost all agreed that having a relationship on the side was the ultimate form of cheating.
As far as what I believe cheating is, I think cheating is any physical or emotional involvement with someone whom you are not in a committed relationship with. And by emotional I do not simply mean having a close connection with someone. I mean full on, emotions attached, borderline simping kind of emotional involvement. While any form of cheating is unacceptable, I would have to say that an emotional involvement with “the other” person is far worse than physical involvement. Relationships are supposed to be a unique bond between you and your significant other. If your significant other is emotionally involved with another man/woman, your relationship with him/her loses all its value since you are no longer the only person they have that connection with. Physical involvement on the other hand, is somewhat more natural since we all get horny and become interested in temptations. Now, don’t get me wrong, just because physical involvement is not as bad as emotional involvement doesn’t mean I condone it. I think what it basically comes down to is if you can’t fully commit yourself to the relationship you’re in and fight off any vices or temptations when it comes to your desired sex, you simply shouldn’t put yourself in a relationship. To put it more simply, if you can’t fully devote yourself (mind&body) to somebody, get out of the relationship...it’s simply not your thing right now, it happens.
I think that the key to not cheating in a relationship, regardless of your definition of it, is self-control. You should be able to respect yourself and your significant other enough not to do anything that might jeopardize the relationship. Many people might argue that cheating speaks nothing of how you feel about your significant other, meaning just because you cheat doesn’t mean you don’t love or care for the person you’re in a relationship with. I personally feel like that’s some bullshit. As I stated before, a relationship is a bond between two people. Relationships are sacred and are to be cherished, not tarnished by a little trickin` here or a little sidebar sexin` there. Lack of respect towards the relationship, in my opinion, is the same as lack of respect towards your significant other. So all in all, if you can’t keep it in your pants and can’t avoid any emotional attachment to someone else, relationships just aren’t for you, not now at least.