Had There Been Consequences

What if there had been consequences?

What if there had been real, meaningful, painful consequences for that unspeakable act all those years ago?

Would he still be alive today?

What if he had been stripped of his fame, his fortune, his ego back then? What if he had been shunned or holed up in the darkness?  Would he be alive today?

There were no consequences – a slight flicker, maybe – an infinitesimal quiver before his light returned to its full radiance. And as the days and years eclipsed the memory of the blood and tears he left others to wash away, his light shined on.

He lit up the world and we basked in his glow. His light lifted him as high as the eye could see. He soared and we soared with him. We loved him. And he loved us, too.

Without fear of consequences, he flew. But in a blinding inferno that burst through the fog, his light was snuffed out, forever.

But what if there had been consequences? Would his light have grown so dim for his soul to cry? Would there have been remorse? Growth? Redemption? Could his light ever have truly helped him fly again? Had there been consequences, would the child be safe in her bed tonight?

And what of the other child? The child of 19? Her once bright light dimmed as his own expanded, dazzling and limitless.  How bright could her light have grown had it not been for those who would profit from his light, those who seized the narrative and forced her into the shadows?

What if there had been consequences all along for all those who would steal the light of others making it okay for him to do the same? How many lights have been obscured or extinguished to keep us blind to the darkness of our heroes? Had the rules always applied, would he have simply let her be?

Had there always been consequences for him and for them, imagine her light, together with every light now diminished, breaking through the night to form a beautiful supernova of hope and healing.

Imagine if there had been consequences.

Photo by Shawn Clark from FreeImages