Somebody Always Pays The Price
We never pause to consider the consequences of our actions. We only think of the immediate ones. Not the second-order effects. Certainly not the third-order, cascading ones. We want to benefit at all costs. We construct narratives that serve us. Instead of weighing the outcomes of our actions thoroughly.
The worst part is the justification we offer ourselves. If everyone's doing it, what's the point of my goodness? And what does it matter? It doesn't mean much. That's how corruption takes hold. That's how unethical behaviour takes root and festers into a malady. That's how every wrong in the world takes shape. It always starts with cutting corners. Letting go of the small thing.
Somebody always pays the price. A road contractor can cut corners by using inferior materials. He thinks, what does it matter, I'll rebuild the road again. Or worse, it's just a road. But a lot can happen on a badly constructed road. An ambulance can get stuck, costing an innocent life. An accident can happen because someone swerved to dodge a pothole. The loss of life is a monumental event. But it was enabled by that contractor cutting corners, thinking what does it matter.
Every time someone cuts corners, somebody pays the price for it. If not immediately, then eventually. The world operates on causality. Every action carries a consequence, regardless of who the doer was. The chain is impeccably clear. You can observe it in every sphere of your life.
You cheating on your girlfriend seems trivial. Breakups happen all the time. Because of that betrayal, somebody loses trust in relationships. Because of that lost trust, some other man will face a woman who can never commit wholeheartedly. That man loses a woman who could have given him the most beautiful life. That man pays the price without ever being part of the transgression. Actions always carry a chain of consequences you cannot see.
Every time you take an action thinking it's trivial, know that it isn't. Somebody always pays the price. You might not see it through to the end, but that doesn't mean there is no end. Start taking responsibility for your actions. Don't say what does it matter, it's trivial. Remember, somebody always pays the price.