Being involved in a relationship with someone who lives many miles away has many challenges, not the least of which is fear of infidelity. We worry about whether our partner is being true to us and we may even worry about our ability to be faithful to them. Statistically, there's no greater chance of infidelity in a long-distance relationship than in a geographically close one, but the truth is, no matter where we are, temptation throws itself in our paths whether we're looking for it or not. The question is, how do we manage it and how will it affect our LDR?

In college, I took a sociology class in which we were presented the following situation.

          You walk into a store and find it empty - no customers, no salespeople,
          no one at all. You find the cash register open and it's full of cash.
          You are absolutely 100% assured that you can take the money and
          there's no chance you will be arrested. In fact, no one will ever know.

So here's the question: Would you take the money?

Some people might find that a challenging ethical dilemma. Other's may not struggle at all.

This is an example of situational ethics and can be a recurring theme in long-distance relationships. After all, you and your love are apart more often than you're together and let's face it, situations do present themselves. The ones that can most negatively impact an LDR are the ones that involve the risk of infidelity.

It's tempting to rationalize our own behavior and believe that if no one knows what we've done, no one will get hurt. Setting aside, the above example, someone always knows what you've done. And that someone is you. We can't hide from ourselves and more often than not, our behavior reflects that self-knowledge. The chances are good that we will act in ways that will give away our infidelity.

Is there a way we can resist the temptation to be unfaithful and keep the trust that is so critical to the health and longevity of our relationships, whether long-distant or not? Is the risk of infidelity in a long-distance relationship so discouraging that it affects your decision whether to even enter into one?

 If you know the proper questions to ask yourself when faced with the temptation to lie or cheat, you stand a better chance of making the right decision. For help with this topic and other issues that threaten your LDR, visit www.alongdistantlove.com.