Actions speak louder...Than Definitions

Have you ever walked with your significant other, and noticed an attractive person from the opposite sex?. What do you do; non-chalantly glance at the person, or dare to do a double take? I guess the more important question is:What would you expect your significant other to do? 

While I know the dictionary exist for a reason, I am still uncertain if Webster can give universal definitions to all words. Sure you have general terms such as guitar, television, ect; but what about the words based off emotion? For instance: infidelity, which Webster defines as:

a : unfaithfulness to a moral obligation 

b : marital unfaithfulness or an instance of it.

While the word maybe defined, the actions are questionable. Most men have one definition of cheating: physical. The "head-turing" and "flirty text messages" do not count, but the second you kiss, have sex, or perform physical activity; the act of infidelity has been reached. I would disagree, because while getting physical is cheating;  having an sexual innuendo conversation with the opposite sex falls under Webster's A&B definition.

To put this all to rest, I think cheating should be broken up into degree's, similar to the courts ruling of murder. Let's analyze this more closely. 

The Degree's of Cheating:

First Degree:

In court, first degree is typically considered deliberate and "pre-meditated"; meaning you're plotting to cheat on your spouse. Example: You've been in a relationship for two years, and things are getting boring. Ironically someone new is hired at the office, and they're extremely attractive. After a few weeks you exchange numbers, and begin texting after business hours. Now to me this is considered cheating, but some would argue no harm has been done--but the plot thickens. 

Your significant other is out of town for the weekend, and you deicide to have an "innocent" dinner with the colleague. Now you could go on the date in jeans and t-shirt, but instead you choose a restaurant with nice attire, and dim lights. After a few glasses of wine, you decide to take the party back to their house, and needless to say, you hook up. I would argue this act is deceitful, planned, and calls for a "kick to the curb" from your spouse because the act of cheating began when you exchanged numbers. 

Second Degree

Now this is typically an "in the moment" act. Meaning, it was spur of the moment, and you did not anticipate for any sexual attention to occur. For instance, you and a co-worker (who ironically is good looking) are on a business trip and you two get completely drunk after a long day of conferences. One thing leads to another, and you wake up with a bad hangover, no recollection of the previous night, and a co-worker next to you. 

Prior to the hook up, there was never any conversation/interaction between you and this employee; so it is hard to decipher how you two ended in bed. I would have to quote T-Pain and say " Blame it on the al-al-al-cohol." I'm sure many people can vouch for having one to many cocktails, and waking up to drunk text or ex's in your bed. But the truth is, they are "in the moment" mistakes and forgivable.

While cheating can be defined, it's hard to measure which actions coincide with the meaning. I believe the degree's of cheating can help determine the severity of the consequences, yet the ultimate result is based on one thing: the individuals. Whatever degree you and your spouse have, it is strictly between y'all. But I think my mother put it best when she said, "anything you would not tell your spouse is considered cheating." -LisH