What lessons are to be learned from the Lance Armstrong saga?

The saga has not yet ended, and Lance Armstrong, barring the unforeseen, will be “re-cycled” in the news for years to come, as he will be forced to identify those who helped him cheat. When he is not doing that, he will be trying to fend off lawsuits by those who were victims of his arrogant dishonesty.

The obvious lesson is that cheating does not pay, but I am not sure how much that resonates with would-be cheaters, who stupidly think they can get away with it.

There are other important lessons well worth absorbing. One is that the fact, or the impression, that everyone else is doing it is not an excuse — not for speeding, not for stealing paper clips, not for cheating on exams or in life. Armstrong probably knew how pervasive his type of cheating was in the world of bicycle racing, and that he needed to do the same in order to even things out. He may have even convinced himself that he really was not cheating. He was not following the rules, but he was following the pattern of others.

Another important lesson is that the desire for fame and fortune can become an overpowering idolatry, an idolatry so potent that it can distort and corrupt our most basic value system.

Perhaps the most vital lesson in this unfolding tragedy is that cheating is not a victimless crime. Cheating on an entrance exam deprives someone more deserving of what is rightfully theirs. Cheating in cycling deprived someone of a victory that even if granted now in a review of the previous races, is never the same as the race day thrill of victory.

Armstrong did much more, and much worse, than duping the public. He stole what was not his, what belonged to others. No matter how much penance he expresses, and no matter how much amends to tries to make, he will never be able to fix his evils.

disappointments,