"Its just a part of the business" and other excuses that cheaters use

If you watch the news at all, you've probably seen all of the controversy about Alex Rodriguez's (N.Y. Yankees baseball player) confession of his use of performance enhancing drugs during his time with the Texas Rangers. Because of this, many are wondering if Rodriguez or A-Rod will be disqualified from ever being in the Hall of Fame and there is much talk about how all of his accomplishments are now tainted.

The thing that baffles me most about all of this is the unbelievable amount of hypocrisy on display. How many people in our country cheat on their taxes? How many husbands and wives cheat on their spouses? How many business men and women use little bits of deceit here and there to get ahead? How many construction contractors overestimate the amount and price of needed materials so that they can keep a little for themselves to take to the next job? How many negotiators start with a much higher price so that they can "negotiate" down to the price that is still above and beyond what they need? The amazing thing is that many of these deceptions and shortcuts are just viewed as "a part of the business" or it's "just the way things are". I think that Alex Rodriguez was just using the same logic that everyone else was and is.

I'm not in, any way, justifying what Alex Rodriquez did. I think, more than anything, I'm just shocked at how we as a society have normalized cheating and deception and the persecution of Rodriguez just makes it more noticeable. I think we all have to stop and look at our daily decision making and let the Spirit of God show us the compromises that we have made in the name of "doing business" or "it's just the way it is"..