Martinelli's 'Cheaters Never Win'

When people drink a glass of Martinelli’s apple cider, often times they enjoy the fizziness of the drink the most. The carbonated bubbles in the cider is what makes the drink so special and loved by many. Sadly however, the fizz only lasts for a limited period of time. After a few hours the cider becomes still, losing its special fizzy touch. The fate of Martinelli’s sparkling cider is similar to the reality of society. Just as this sparkling drink fizzes in the beginning, striving towards better virtues makes society seemingly better. However, the inevitable fact is that the cider does eventually lose its fizz and is no different than a glass of regular apple juice. Society works in the same way. Although striving to be more moral may cause
In Christopher Bergland’s article, “Cheaters Never Win,” he states, “I believe it is the time we spend with family, friends, being healthy, alive and connected that is our biggest source of joy” (7). Here, Bergland, a retired professional athlete, explains that the simple blessings of being alive are more important than success or collecting goods. People would start to see their lives through different lenses if they strived towards perfection, and the need for superficial success would fall away. What is most important in life would be revealed: the layer of societal success would fade, leaving only the core of loved ones and the natural beauty of life. Additionally, according to political philosopher Michael Sandel’s article, “The Case Against Perfection,” when people strive towards perfection, they “[constrain] the Promethean project and [appreciate] the gifted quality of life” (20). By saying the “Promethean project,” Sandel compares people’s controlling nature to Prometheus, who formed all of mankind. He explains how striving towards perfection halts people’s wish to control and gives them a greater appreciation of life. If people tried to have better morals, they would no longer desire mastery. This quality would become less important because instead, people would recognize the weight of life’s blessings. When people leave their
Twain refers to mankind’s inevitable wickedness when he says, “It is plain that, he is… afflicted with a Defect… that is permanent in him, indestructible, ineradicable” (19). All humans have a corrupt attribute that damages their moral understanding, and no matter how diligently they try, they cannot escape this inner corruption. Thus, people are prone to making mistakes. Striving towards perfection would be a futile effort and only hurt people’s perceptions of themselves because they constantly act in ways that counter their desire for perfection. People would scold themselves for failing to meet an impossible standard, so instead of becoming more positive, society would become despondent. Additionally, Bergland mentions in his article that “winning does matter. You want to be your absolute best and be thrilled if you are victorious” (7). While Bergland believes winning should not be of utmost importance, he supports winning that occurs as a result of hard work. People would still feel a drive toward societal success despite striving towards higher morals, and they would want to give their best efforts to succeed. However, inevitably, people would sometimes fail. These failures would only cause people to berate themselves for their inability to achieve their impossible expectations of success.